Khushbu Sundar reveals she is a child abuse survivor: 'I was just 8 years old...'

Actor-politician Khushbu Sundar made a shocking revelation during a recent media interaction. She revealed that as a child she suffered physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her father. 

“I think when a child is abused, it scars the child for life and it’s not about a girl or a boy. My mother has been through the most abusive marriage. A man who probably thought it was his birthright to beat up his wife, beat up his children, sexually abuse his only daughter. When my abuse started I was just 8 years old and I had the courage to speak against him when I was 15," Khushbu said during an interview with Mojo Story. 

She said she suffered the abuse in silence for many years as she was worried nobody would believe her. “One fear that stayed with me was my mom may not believe me because I have seen her in that environment where there was ‘kuch bhi hojaye mera pati devata hai (no matter what happens, my husband is my God)’ mindset. But at 15 I thought that it was enough and I started revolting against him. I was not even 16 and he left us with whatever we had and we didn’t know where the next meal will come from," she added. 

Khushbu started her acting career as a child artist in the early 1980s. She appeared in films like Naseeb, Laawaris, Kaalia, Dard Ka Rishta, and Bemisal. She made her debut as a lead actor with Jaanoo. But, her career really took when she began acting in south movies. She became a force to reckon with in the South Indian film industry. She was one of the top female actors in Tamil cinema for nearly two decades. 

Khushbu continues to pursue acting even though she also has an active political career. She was recently seen in Annaatthe, starring Superstar Rajinikanth in the lead role. She had played a key cameo in Tamil superstar Vijay's latest blockbuster Varisu. However, her performance didn't make the final cut of the film.