‘I don’t want to suffer’: Zarina Wahab opens up about marriage to Aditya Pancholi and his multiple alleged affairs; navigating complex relationships | Feelings News

Zarina Wahab recently spoke about her decades-long marriage with actor Aditya Pancholi. Recalling their early connection on the sets of a film in a conversation with Nayandeep Rakshit, she shared, “We got married within 15-20 days of meeting each other. We were working on Nari Hari film. This was the time I met him. He was a very good looking boy. He had a scene to shoot, where he had to cry. He started to cry and didn’t stop at all. We even had to stop the shooting for that day. We sat in the same car when I held his hand and told him ‘don’t cry’. At that time, he held my hand tighter and within 15 days we got married. Everybody said, she has married such a good looking man, he will leave her in a week. And look, it’s been 38 years.”
Over the years, Aditya Pancholi has made headlines for his alleged affairs, including his highly publicised relationship with actor Kangana Ranaut. But Wahab remains unfazed public speculation. “This is all a phase which comes and goes. I never take these phases seriously as I know he will never get serious with anyone else as he loves me a lot.” She added, “I don’t care what he does outside, but when he enters the house, he is an excellent father and husband. And that’s all that matters to me. I would have felt bad if only he brought his affairs home. A lot of men have affairs and still run a family. If I will start taking these things too seriously, and start fighting over it then I will suffer. I don’t want to suffer, I love myself.”
In the same interview, Zarina stated, “I am very independent. Even If I had to live alone, I have money and properties in my name, but in reality I never thought of leaving him. We never discussed this.”
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How do some people emotionally separate their partner’s actions outside the relationship from what happens within the home?
Jai Arora, counselling psycholog and co-founder of Kirana Counselling, tells , “This skill of emotional compartmentalisation is extremely tough to master. In some long-standing relationships, especially where the emotional bond is deep or hory runs long, individuals may choose to prioritise stability and shared life over betrayal. They may view the partner’s external behaviour as a ‘phase’ or draction, painful, yes, but not identity-defining for the relationship.”
We need to keep in mind that this outlook on relationships is also something they either learnt while growing up or consciously chose to believe in. “While this strategy can be emotionally sustainable for some, it often requires high emotional resilience and a strong internal narrative — one that centers on love, loyalty, or personal boundaries,” states Arora. 
How important is emotional and financial independence in making peace with complex relationship dynamics?
Despite public opinion, Zarina inss she’s with her partner choice and not due to dependency. “Emotional and financial independence can dramatically shift how one navigates relationship pain. It gives a person the ability to stay without feeling trapped, forgive without erasing self-respect, and define love on their own terms. It is also a subtle but strong reclaiming of agency in a culture that often perceives women in such situations as helpless,” notes Arora.
He adds, “All of us, according to our context- emotional bandwidth, attachment, are drawn and ‘stuck’ in relationships in our own unique ways. Navigating our challenges while maintaining our needs is the key.”