Ex-wife turns friends into foes

Model-turned-actor Aseem Merchant is very angry and upset by his ex-wife's ex-husband Ken bringing his daughter Sasha into the marital dispute.

"I can understand the guy trying to sort out his differences with his ex-wife who happens to be my ex-wife too. But why is he dragging my daughter Sasha whose mother happens to be Ken's wife, in his dirty allegations? It's just not done."

Aseem says he divorced from his wife Mamta six years ago. "Then she was married to Ken in the US. Then they had some problems. Why is he now dragging my name into his differences with Mamta?

What kind of a humanbeing would actually ask a question like …am I divorced from my ex-wife or not? Aren't there papers to prove such things? Ken Bagga knows he won't be heard in the Indian press without dragging my name into it."

The two men were apparently friends. "I've always been very helpful to him whenever he has come down to India. We'd even party together in Mumbai. I'd lend him one of my cars during his stay in the city. He should've respected my feelings and not dragged my daughter into his dirty accusations."

Aseem's daughter Sasha from his marriage is now staying with him. "After her break-up with Ken in the US,and return to Mumbai, my wife felt my daughter needed a father-figure. She moved in with me and has been doing very well for herself. I resent the fact that Sasha has been dragged into this."

Speaking on the status of his relationship with his ex-wife Aseem says, "We're of course friends. We share the responsibility of looking after our daughter and that keeps us bonded. She has her own place in Lokhandwala which is very close to my place. When I travel she looks after our daughter.

Otherwise she has her own life. In fact I didn't even know about the status of her marriage with the Ken until all this appeared. She did mention though, that he had stopped sending money. At first he seemed like a nice guy, Yes they met much after we divorced. "

He says there're no chances of a reconciliation between him and his ex-wife. "I don't believe in looking back. I've a few women in my life. But I'm not focusing on that aspect of my life.

I've my career, and I'm looking forward to the release of my Bengali film Ashima directed by Shishir Mishra.It's a beautiful film with a great story and I play the author-backed role of a doctor."

But the role that he loves the best is that of the single parent. "My daughter is the only important woman in my life. Next year when she's 12 I plan to send her to Woodstock in Mussourrie. My ex-wife is doing well for herself in the designing business. Ken wants her back.

All this crap about not being in touch with her is so wrong. He has constantly been calling and messaging her. Only a weak and publicity-hungry person would get a child's name involved with all this."