Kamya Punjabi was abused so badly by first husband, she had to use makeup to hide scars, reveals why she stayed for 13 years: ‘I gave everything so…’

Actress Kamya Punjabi recently opened up about the horrors she faced in her marriage. Previously, the TV star was married to the entrepreneur Bunty Negi, with whom she has a daughter Aara. They divorced in 2013. The ‘Maryada’ star is now married to Shalabh Dang, a Delhi-based doctor.

In a chat with Siddharth Kannan, the actress said there were many red flags in her relationship with Negi, and she was cautioned by her parents as well, but she turned a blind eye. She admitted they often fought even before marriage, and her family had told her they were not suited for each other. But she was in love and did not want to rock the boat.

“We were already not getting along. We used to fight even before we got married, and things had reached a point where we should have decided not to go ahead with it—that he was not the one for me, or I was not the one for him. But you know how first love is. You feel, ‘This is it. This is the person.’ My parents also told me that this relationship was not right and that we were not right for each other. But I just didn’t want to listen," she said.


She then opened up about facing domestic violence. She admitted to putting makeup on her face to hide bruises and injuries. She recalled going to comedy shows and award events to be honoured with an award, with excessive makeup on her face – just to hide her injuries. “I was ashamed of myself…everyone wondered why I was wearing so much makeup for a rehearsal. I would cry so much in my vanity van. I was acting 24/7. Nobody knew what was happening to me,” she revealed.

She opened up about how he had demanded she quit work and become a stay-at-home mother; he was also excessively suspicious of her and wanted to keep track of her movements. “If he called every 10 minutes and I didn’t answer the phone, there would be questions about why I hadn’t picked up. ‘What is this scene? Who are you with?’ Even questions about what I was wearing,” she said.

The actress also revealed she desperately wanted the relationship to work and to give it her best shot. She did not want to look back in regret.

Kamya revealed that she chose not to seek any financial support from her former husband after their divorce. She was determined to take full responsibility for bringing up their daughter and covering all of her needs independently. She also relinquished her stake in a company where she had made a significant financial investment, transferring her interest to her ex-husband.

She recalled that during the divorce proceedings, she was willing to accept whatever terms he wished to put forward and sign the necessary documents without seeking any personal benefits. Her priority was to move forward without demanding alimony or property. Despite having invested considerably in his business, she willingly handed over her share as well. Kamya said she wanted a peaceful separation and chose to walk away without claiming anything for herself.