IANS/Mumbai
A Mumbai court has deferred the hearing of Suraj Pancholi’s bail plea until June 21. He was held on the charge of abetting the suicide of his girlfriend and actress Jiah Khan.
However his actor father Aditya Pancholi says his son is not guilty and that the jail experience will make him stronger.
“Let my son stay in jail a little longer. It will make him tougher and wiser. He has done no wrong. So, this experience can only make him strong,” Pancholi said.
Khan, who debuted in Bollywood with Ram Gopal Varma’s Nishabd, committed suicide at her residence in Mumbai’s Juhu area on June 3. She was 25.
On June 8 police recovered a note purportedly written by the actress talking about her disturbed relationship with her boyfriend and claiming that he abused her mentally and physically. Two days later Mumbai police arrested Suraj in connection with Khan’s suicide.
Pancholi and his actress wife Zarina Wahab were confident that their son would be granted bail on June 14. This, however did not happen.
A friend of the couple said Suraj is “unlikely to be released in the immediate future.”
“Suraj is unlikely to get any special privileges like a separate cell or home-made food. The prospect of seeing their son suffer in jail has hit the Pancholis hard. Aditya specially has taken it very badly,” the friend added.
The friend says the image of the raging troubled star-son in the media is not quite what Suraj is.
“The story about Suraj suffering from fits of rage is highly exaggerated. When Suraj gets angry, he goes completely quiet. Suraj is completely his mama’s boy. He has grown up with his grandmother, far away from his father. So Suraj has never been a witness to his father’s wayward ways. This whole run-in with the law is totally unexpected...But he’s also a strong chap. When he sees his parents, he comforts them and assures them all would be well, rather than the parents comforting him,” said the friend.