Aayush Sharma has recently spoken out to address the ongoing conversations surrounding his marriage to Salman Khan’s sister, Arpita. Aayush has stated that the common perception that he married Arpita to gain entry into the film industry and secure Salman Khan’s support is entirely baseless.
Speaking to Siddharth Kannan, Aayush said, “Was Arpita so naive that she didn’t know why I was marrying her? People should know that before I got married, I had already given over 300 auditions and I had not cracked even one, so I was like I can’t do it.” Aayush went on to explain that it was Salman who encouraged him to continue pursuing acting, recognizing that he needed proper training.
Aayush, who will soon be seen in the action film “Ruslaan,” said that a false narrative was spun against him, implying that he was wasting Salman Khan’s money. Reacting to this, he said, “Then the narrative that was built was that I was wasting Salman Khan’s money. Should I have shared my income tax details on Instagram? Should I have showed people how much money I have and what I do with it?”
He shared a personal anecdote, saying, “When on Friday Loveyatri (2018) had failed, Salman bhai called me that night to ask me what the reaction was like. I had tears in my eyes and told him, ‘Sorry, maine aapke paise dubaa diye (I wasted your money)’ and he said that I had gone mad. He wanted to know what I was thinking, feeling, so I said I was I wasted your money and that’s my biggest problem.”
Aayush also revealed that there was a time he didn’t have the money to even buy breakfast for himself because his father was against his decision to become an actor. He shared, “When Antim (2021, also starring Salman Khan) came, I was here only at Ayaz (a restaurant in Bandra). I have a backstory of Ayaz. When I had just Rs 20 on me, I had my last meal there at night. After that, I didn’t have the money for breakfast. It’s the time when my father was against my decision to become an actor.”
Aayush married Arpita Khan on November 18, 2014. They are parents to two children – daughter Ayat and son Ahil. The actor added that now he’s not bothered with what people have to say and is focused on giving his two children a good upbringing. He said, “Salman Bhai is such a beautiful person. He never even mentioned the money part to me, he never said, ‘tumhare vajah se mere itne paise dubb gaye’ (because of you I lost so much money). But in my heart, I knew that I had a loan on my head. We made money in Antim’s pre-sale and we made a profit and that’s when I sighed in relief.”
Despite the criticism, Aayush remains focused on his family, saying, “What matters to me is can I pay the school fees for my children, can I give them a good home, good upbringing. I want to be a capable father to them. If people think I take money (from Salman) then I wouldn’t want to say anything to them.”
