Kruttika Desai on how her life changed after her husband’s demise just before the lockdown

Kruttika Desai, who is currently essaying the role of Suman in Pandya Store, suffered a personal loss after she lost her husband, Bollywood actor and director Imtiiaz Khan just five days before the lockdown on March 16, 2020.

Kruttika talked about it in a recent interview with BT and shared, “My world turned upside down after my husband passed away suddenly. There were pros and cons to the lockdown because, in a way, it was nice to have that peace and heal quietly at home with my daughter Ayesha. I needed time to deal with this tragedy and the lockdown gave me that time. On the other hand, just a few days after he passed away, my daughter and I were left all alone — no one could come and visit us or comfort us in our time of grief. We had to come to terms with our loss alone.”

Talking about how she dealt with the loss, she says, “It was tough, but the way he said goodbye was heartening. He said, ‘Chalo Kruttika, I am going now’ and closed his eyes. He conveyed so many things through his eyes in those last moments and bestowed his love and strength on me. That gave me the courage to move on and become stronger for my daughter, who was very close to him.”

Kruttika met Imtiiaz when he cast her for a play he was directing in 1988. The actress recalls the moment and shares, “We started rehearsing together and fell in love so organically that it became obvious we would tie the knot. He was a talented, charming and intelligent man. I realized once I got to know him better that the age gap didn’t matter at all.”

Krutikka was 23 and Imtiiaz was 40 when they met.