7 days ago
Meet actor who once competed with Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, never became a star, lived with someone else's wife for 20 years, his name is...
Once the charming face behind fan-favourites like Aashiqui's Balu, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar's Shekhar Malhotra, and Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa's Chris Rodrigues, Deepak Tijori's acting star faded, only to ignite a second spark as a director. His 2003 outing, Oops!, was just the beginning—but his real-life script soon turned darker than fiction.
What began as a promising shift behind the camera unravelled alongside his personal life. Married to fashion designer Shivani, Deepak's ties to her family, particularly director Kabir Sadanand and actress-sister Kunika, felt more tangled than backstage drama. Public showdown at home
Rumours hit headlines in 2017 when Shivani allegedly threw Deepak from their Goregaon home, accusing him of an extramarital affair. She supposedly restricted him to a single room and even barred servants from attending to him, forcing him to seek refuge at a friend's place. This wasn't mere gossip—it was a courtroom battleground, where Shivani moved for divorce and child support.
According to later, Deepak came to know that his 'wife' Shivani had never legally ended her first marriage. Which meant — shockingly — that his own marriage had no legal standing. He had, unknowingly, spent nearly 20 years living with someone else's lawful wife.
Despite the invalid marriage, Shivani reportedly demanded alimony and financial maintenance from the actor, citing abandonment and their daughter's needs. The legal and emotional tangle left Tijori in a bizarre — and public — marital mess few saw coming. Family feud goes public
The storm became louder when Kunika entered the frame, denying that the cast of wrong had done wrong. In interviews, she claimed Deepak was staying at home with 'his girlfriend', arguing that he couldn't just be 'kicked out'—especially as the father of her niece. Suddenly, the domestic dispute had transformed into a high‑stakes family controversy. Father‑daughter relationship strains
Rumblings of discord spilt over to Deepak's relationship with his daughter, Samara. Shivani revealed that Deepak had feigned ignorance about her earlier marriage, painting him as deliberately deceitful. She insisted she'd informed him of her prior marriage—but even so, he'd stayed on. His failure to legally end his marriage, she claimed, gave Deepak the upper hand in public opinion, while he allegedly sought to smear her reputation. Accusations of crossing lines
Shivani's allegations escalated: 'He crossed all limits … Also transgressed the boundaries of law,' she said. A glamorous couple turned into a tabloid tempest, with courtroom filings and personal tragedies laid bare for public spectacle.
In less than two decades, Deepak Tijori went from beloved romantic lead to embattled husband, accused father, and controversy magnet. His journey—from film sets to courtrooms—raises questions about fame's fragility, the price of privacy, and how personal storms can eclipse public personas.
