Sheezan Khan’s sister says his breakup with Tunisha Sharma was mutual: A look at the messiest breakups in Bollywood and on TV

On December 24, 2022, actor Tunisha Sharma (20) was found dead on the set of the TV show Alibaba: Dastaan-e-Kabul set. Her co-star and boyfriend Sheezan Khan was detained and remanded in judicial custody for 14 days on charges of abetting the suicide after Tunisha’s mother, Vinita Sharma, filed an FIR against him. On January 2, Falak Naaz, Sheezan’s sister, tried to clear the air with a video that she posted on her Instagram page, in which she said that Tunisha and Sheezan’s relationship did not end on a bitter note and that the two had mutually decided to call it quits to focus on their careers. 

While the real reason behind Tunisha’s suicide is yet to be ascertained, the controversy reminds one of some other ugly breakups that played out in the public space. Here’s a look at some of the most prominent ones from Bollywood and Hindi television…

Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai: Salman and Aishwarya reportedly began dating each other on the set of their 1999 hit film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. They were among the most talked-about couples in cinema, and it looked like they would walk down the aisle. But things took a turn for the worse after midnight drama in November 2001, leading to the couple breaking up a few months later.

Akshay Kumar and Raveena Tandon: They sizzled together onscreen in the Tip Tip Barsa Paani song and were the ‘it’ couple in Bollywood. Akshay and Raveena got together in 1995 and famously dated for three years and even got engaged, but soon split up when Akshay asked Raveena to choose between him or her career. Akshay had reportedly told Raveen that they would get married the day Raveena finished her last film. A top actress at the time, Raveena chose her career.

Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone: After dating for two years, Ranbir and Deepika broke up in 2007 and it was anything but pleasant. It is reported that Deepika – who had RK (Ranbir's initials) tattooed on the back of her neck and even dedicated her first award to him – had a tough time dealing with the fact that Ranbir reportedly cheated on her, and was inconsolable for a long time.

Ankita Lokhande and Sushant Singh Rajput: The two were among the most loved couples both on and off the screen, so it came as a shock when they called it quits after dating for six years in 2016. Ankita and Sushant fell in love while starring on the hit TV show Pavitra Rishta. Ankita, who claimed that Sushant chose his career over her, did not handle the breakup well, and said that she even considered ending her life. She added that it took her 2.5 years to come to terms with it. 

John Abraham and Bipasha Basu: The hottest couple at the time, John and Bipasha openly dated for nine years before parting ways in 2011. It is speculated that John cheated on Bipasha and that he was reluctant to commit to her and take their relationship to the next level. The breakup is said to have been bitter and the two have not remained in touch or tried to be friendly.

Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor: Shahid and Kareena were the talk of the town in the early 2000s when they were dating each other. They were together for four years and Kareena famously gave up eating meat for Shahid. Things started going sour for the couple after some intimate pictures of theirs were leaked, and it is said that Kareena's family was upset about this. It is perhaps ironic that they broke up in 2006 during the filming of their hit romantic movie, Jab We Met.

Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia: It was a fairytale romance between a lead actress and a business tycoon, who co-owned an IPL team. Preity and Ness began dating in 2005. They broke up in 2009, after it was reported that Ness allegedly slapped Preity at a party. Things took an ugly turn in 2014, when Preity filed a complaint against Ness for abusing and molesting her at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium.

Abhishek Bachchan and Karisma Kapoor: It was supposed to be a match between two legendary Bollywood families, but things didn't go as planned. Karisma and Abhishek reportedly dated for five years, got engaged in 2002, and looked all set to walk down the aisle. It is said that Karisma's mother, Babita, wasn't happy about the fact that Abhishek was a struggling actor then while Karisma was already a star, and this was the reason that their engagement was called off just four months later.  

Pulkit Samrat and Shweta Rohira: Salman Khan's rakhi sister Shweta met Pulkit in 2013 and the couple were married a year later. It is said that things started going south for the couple when in 2015, instead of looking after his wife post a miscarriage, Pulkit was spending time with his Sanam Re co-star Yami Gautam. Soon after, Shweta said in an interview that she and Pulkit were living separately and that his family was responsible for this. In 2017, Shweta filed for divorce from her estranged husband. 

Uday Chopra and Nargis Fakhri: Nargis and Uday dated for five years after meeting in 2014. Nargis allegedly suffered a nervous breakdown after Uday refused to make their relationship official and get married. In fact, things were so bad that Uday apparently broke up with Nargis over a WhatsApp message. It is reported that her breakup from Uday was the reason that a broken-hearted Nargis moved back to New York.

Gauahar Khan and Kushal Tandon: Gauahar and Kushal's relationship was all that anyone could talk about. They met in 2013 when they were both in the Bigg Boss house. They dated for around a year, but several spats during that duration made headlines constantly. There were speculations that they were engaged, so it came as a shock when Kushal tweeted that they had split. Apparently, the couple called it quits because Gauhar wanted Kaushal to convert to Islam.  

Sooraj Pancholi and Jiah Khan: Jiah was only 25-years-old when she was found dead in her Mumbai apartment in 2013. In a suicide note left behind by her, she had accused her former boyfriend Sooraj of abusing and torturing her, leading to her extreme act. Many years later, Sooraj claimed that Jiah was depressed and had tried to commit suicide at other times as well. He reportedly added that he had no other option but to end his relationship with Jiah because he could not deal with her crying on a daily basis.

Shweta Tiwari and Raja Chaudhary: Shweta Tiwari, who was the darling of the small screen thanks to the hit TV show Kasauti Zindagi Kay, got married to actor Raja Chaudhary in 1998. When they divorced in 2007, it came as a shock since they seemed to be much in-love. Shweta reportedly fought for seven years to get a divorce from Raja, who she accused of being an alcoholic and of physically assaulting her.

Karisma Kapoor and Sanjay Kapur: If reports are to be believed, then Karisma's marriage to Sanjay was a difficult one from the word go. The duo got married in 2003 and parted 11 years later in 2014. During their divorce proceedings, Karisma is said to have revealed that Sanjay beat her up and forced her to sleep with his friends. Sanjay claimed that Karisma married him only for his money. The actress even filed a dowry harassment case against Sanjay and his mother. 

Kangana Ranaut and Adhyayan Suman: Adhyayan and Kangana dated only for a few months in 2008, when they were shooting for their film, Raaz: The Mystery Continues. Adhyayan accused Kangana of cheating on him with Hrithik Roshan. He also said in an interview that she physically and emotionally abused him throughout their relationship, which he called 'toxic'. He even accused her of performing black magic on him.