Kamya Panjabi recalls facing domestic violence in first marriage: 'Would put makeup before going out'

Kamya Panjabi (Pic/Instagram)

Actress Kamya Panjabi has opened up about the difficult years of her first marriage, revealing that she faced domestic violence and controlling behaviour at home. The actor recalled using makeup to hide injury marks before stepping out for work. She also spoke about the emotional toll of dealing with an unhappy marriage.

Kamya Panjabi recalls facing domestic violence

In an interview with Siddharth Kannan, Kamya Panjabi recalled marrying Bunty Negi at 25 despite their relationship being troubled by frequent arguments even before the wedding. She said her parents had warned her against the marriage, but she chose to follow her first love.

She further shared how she had been through domestic violence and stated, "There was a time when I would put makeup on my face before going out so that the marks wouldn't show."

Recalling an incident, she said, "I remember going to receive an award once and feeling ashamed of myself. I thought, ‘Who am I, and what am I doing?' I was getting beaten up at home and then going outside to receive an award. Why? What kind of life was I living? I have locked myself in the bathroom and cried for hours, sometimes through the entire night."

Kamya further recalled turning up for rehearsals of a comedy show with heavy makeup because she wanted to hide the marks on her face. "I was acting 24/7. Nobody knew what was happening to me."

She shared, "He wanted me to stop working, but I said, ‘I will not leave my work. Why should I?' I had to support my parents and my family. I don't know what his thought process was, but he was suspicious about everything. If he called every 10 minutes and I didn't answer the phone, there would be questions about why I hadn't picked up. ‘What is this scene? Who are you with?' Even questions about what I was wearing."

About Kamya's separation

Kamya was previously married to businessman Bunty Negi. The couple has a daughter, Aara. They separated after staying together for 13 years. She was briefly dating Karan Patel as well. The actress later found love again with Shalabh Dang. The two got married in 2020.

Kamya has previously worked in shows such as Reth, Astitva...Ek Prem Kahani, Banoo Mein Teri Dulhann, Piya Ka Ghar, Maryada: Lekin Kab Tak and Kyun Hota Hai Pyaar.