Sooraj Pancholi: I have been called a murderer, a criminal, an abuser and so much worse

Two-films-old Sooraj Pancholi is yet to make his mark in the Indian film industry. The actor, whose debut alongside Athiya Shetty in 'Hero' received mixed response rang in his 28th birthday recently. While Bollywood celebrities make sure to make their birthday a joyous one, Sooraj was seen sharing a heartfelt post through his social media handle.

The 28-year-old shared a picture of holding two candles and captioned it by expressing a few thoughts he wanted to share with his followers. In an elaborative post, he shared, "Today I complete 28 years of my life. I want to take up this moment to share a few thoughts that have been in my heart for a while. I wanted to wait to speak out until the case ended, but it’s taken longer than expected. I don’t know where to start from. It is difficult to express some feelings when so many people, so many emotions are involved. First, I want to thank those who have stood by me like a pillar of strength. It has been a long journey that started when I was still trying to understand life."

Further talking about the case, Sooraj wrote how he was called names as the case proceeded. " I have been fighting the case in court for the last 6 years, with patience and respect, waiting for the trial to be completed. In this process I have been called a murderer, a criminal, an abuser and so much worse. I read these things about me almost every single day. And my heartfelt effort has always been to be strong, respectful and ignore it. But they still fill my and my loved ones’ heart with so much sadness. I don’t blame the people who call me names, because that’s how i have been portrayed in public, but i’m not the monster that has been portrayed in headlines. I know how easy it is to think the worst of someone and accuse them but it is exceptionally hard to prove myself innocent as there’s a procedure that we need to follow. A procedure that has taken long enough that i have been made to feel guilty without even being given a fair chance to prove my innocence. There have been accusations and assumptions but there has been no validation. But, this is not about what others say. This is about how I feel."

Read his entire post here: 

For the uninitiated ones, actor Jiah Khan committed suicide in 2013 in her flat in Juhu, Mumbai. She left a suicide note in which she blamed Sooraj for ruining her life. The actor has been charged with abetment to suicide. Jiah's mother Rabia Khan has been fighting the case for her daughter ever since.