Gautami Tadimalla and Kamal Haasan have parted ways after 13 years of living together. The actress-designer announced the news of separation on her blog yesterday. “It is heartbreaking for me to have to say today that I and Mr. Haasan are no longer together. After almost 13 years together, it has been one of the most devastating decisions that I have ever had to make in my life,” she said.
Later that evening, when asked about the reason for her decision, Gautami told Vikatan, “I split with him for my daughter’s sake, she has a right to live the way she wants to live, and as a mom, I have a duty to do that for her.”
While there has been media speculation that the decision came out of conflict with Kamal’s daughter Shruti Haasan, Gautami clarified, “I have never had anything against Kamal Haasan’s daughters. I have only been supportive of them. We’ve never had any issues with each other.”
In August, there had been rumours about a fallout between Gautami and Shruti Haasan, Kamal’s daughter, on the sets of his trilingual comedy Sabash Naidu. Gautami was in charge of designing Shruti’s style, and the two reportedly had an argument over Shruti’s look. Later, Shruti put an end to the speculation and said, “My dad is one of the most important people in my universe and if someone’s important to him, I respect that person.”
When contacted by Deccan Chronicle, Kamal Haasan said his feelings were of no importance, and that he wished Gautami and Subbu the best in life. He also said that he considered himself “the luckiest father in the world” to have daughters like Shruti, Akshara, and Subbulakshmi.
In her post, Gautami had said that it was one of the toughest choices a woman of her age could ever make, “This decision to set forth on my own at this stage in my life is perhaps one of the most difficult decisions any woman will ever have to make but it is a necessary one for me. For I am a mother first and foremost and I have a responsibility to my child to be the best mother that I can be. And to do that, it is essential that I am at peace within myself.”
A popular heroine in the 1980s and ’90s, Gautami rose to fame through films like Apoorva Sagodharargal, Raja Chinna Roja, Thevar Magan, Panakkara and Gentleman. She and Kamal Haasan started living together in 2005. She was formerly married to businessman Sandeep Bhatia, but their marriage ended in 1999. Kamal Haasan had been married twice (and divorced), to Vaani Ganapati and Sarita, before he moved in with Gautami. In 2015, the duo acted together as husband and wife in Jeethu Joseph’s Paapanasam.
Gautami survived breast cancer at the age of 35, and now runs an NGO called Life Again Foundation. The NGO spreads awareness about cancer and offers financial support to underprivileged patients. Recently, she met prime minister Narendra Modi to seek his guidance in the functioning of the NGO.
Here is a copy of Gautami’s full statement, titled “Life and Decisions“:
“It is heartbreaking for me to have to say today that I and Mr. Haasan are no longer together. After almost 13 years together, it has been one of the most devastating decisions that I have ever had to make in my life. It is never easy for anyone in a committed relationship to realise that their paths have irreversibly diverged and that the only choices in front of them are to either compromise with their dreams for life or to accept the truth of their solitude and move ahead. It has taken me a very long time, a couple of years at the very least, to accept this heartbreaking truth and come to this decision.
It is not my intention to seek sympathy or assign blame. I have understood through my life that change is inevitable and human nature will define that change for each individual. Not all of these changes might be what we expect or anticipate but that does not, in any way, negate the very real impact of these diverging priorities in a relationship. This decision to set forth on my own at this stage in my life is perhaps one of the most difficult decisions any woman will ever have to make but it is a necessary one for me. For I am a mother first and foremost and I have a responsibility to my child to be the best mother that I can be. And to do that, it is essential that I am at peace within myself.
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It is no secret that I have always been a fan of Mr. Haasan’s since before I came to the film industry and I continue to admire and cheer on his monumental talent and achievements. I have stood by him through all his challenges and they have been precious moments for me. I have also learned a great deal from working with him as costume designer on his films and I’m proud that I was able to do justice to his creative vision in those films. Along with all of his accomplishments to date, I know that there is much more to come from him for his audience and I look forward to applauding those successes.
I would like to say that I am sharing this monumental happening in my life because I have always lived my life in your midst, with dignity and grace to the best of my ability at all times, and all of you have been a part of my life’s journey in so many ways. I have received so much of love and support from you through the past 29 years and I would like to thank you for the many ways in which you kept me going through the darkest and most painful times in my life.
With love and regards,
Gautami”