6 min readNew DelhiJul 28, 2026 04:24 PM IST
Shweta Tiwari was an up-and-coming actor when she met struggling actor, Raja Chaudhary, and in a span of three months, the two got married. The marriage started witnessing troubles early on and in a few years, after Shweta became a household name after TV shows like Kasautii Zindagi Kay, the two went through a rather ugly divorce. Their daughter, Palak Tiwari, who is now an actor, was just eight years old when her parents separated and as per father, he has only spoken to his daughter just twice or thrice in the last 18 years. In a new interview, Raja opened up about his troubled marriage and said that he wasn’t “mature enough” to handle his divorce tactfully at the time.
‘Wasn’t mature enough to handle divorce’
Talking to Siddharth Kannan, Raja said that during the early years of their marriage, they had very well-defined roles. “She was earning and I was managing everything. And she was earning a lot. I was just a manager and who cares about a manager?” he said. Raja shared that when things started going haywire in their relationship, he couldn’t handle it as he wasn’t “mature enough” back then. He shared that after getting married in 1999, they stayed together until 2007, and ultimately got divorced in 2012.
Raja claimed that he was “very proud” of Shweta and did not allow “male ego” to come in the way of their relationship. “I became the housewife and she became the man of the house. But things didn’t work out between us,” he said. Raja blamed Shweta’s mother for creating the rift between the two and said that Shweta was quite gullible during that phase. “Her mother would tell her, ‘You don’t need him. You have made everything on your own’. She believed I was wasting her money to buy cars and other expensive things,” he said. Later in the chat, he admitted that he wouldn’t inform Shweta about the bigger expenses which wasn’t right on his part.
‘I was the unpaid househelp, driver’
“I was the unpaid househelp, and an unpaid driver,” he said as he recalled that he was taking care of the house while Shweta spent over 16 hours at work every single day. “We were just fighting, not understanding each other. I was trying to prove my point of view and she was just trying to prove hers, but no one’s point was proved. It was just a broken family,” he said.
Raja alleged that Shweta “never made any effort to save the relationship. She just wanted to go. She just wanted to be away from me. She had decided it already. Otherwise, how can the cops come to your house and ask you to vacate immediately even if you are the co-owner of the house? Is it even legal?” Shweta had filed domestic abuse allegations against Raja.
He confessed that he started drinking heavily after the separation and even spent some time in a rehabilitation center. “It wasn’t just alcoholism. It was a mental breakdown; these were all my emotions. I had no control over anything. I couldn’t even see my daughter. I couldn’t fathom the fact that my daughter was no longer with me. I had a very strong connection with her,” he said.
Story continues below this ad
Shweta Tiwari raised Palak Tiwari as a single mother. (Photo: Palak Tiwari/Instagram)
‘Have blocked daughter Palak Tiwari on social media’
Talking about his daughter Palak, he said that he would take care of her every day until she was eight years old. “Saturday used to be Daddy’s day. I would take her out for swimming, shopping, everything. I would pick her up and drop her to school,” he said, and added that in the last 18 years, he has just spoken to his daughter 2-3 times.
When asked about her career and social media activity, Raja said that he has blocked everything related to her on social media. “I don’t want to see their photos, videos because I have done my level of begging. I have justified myself enough, saying how much I miss her. I don’t want to, anymore,” he said.
He recalled that the last time he saw Palak was on his birthday in July of 2022 or 2023, but Palak left in just 10 minutes. “It was my birthday and she came to my home for a visit. But she left in 10 minutes, saying she has some work. I invited her. I told her I’ll cook for her as it was my birthday but it didn’t work out,” he said and added, “I told her, ‘You could have come with your mother’.” He admitted that the statement might have triggered Palak.
Story continues below this ad
‘I am just a biological father, that’s it’
When asked about her alleged relationship with Ibrahim Ali Khan, he said, “She is not living in isolation. Everyone has girlfriends and boyfriends.” He added, “I would be bothered if she was a part of my life but she doesn’t consider me a father. You should ask her mother if she is bothered. Why should I be bothered? I am just a biological father, that’s it. That’s what I was told. I was told that I have nothing to do with her. What can you do about it?”
Despite everything, he said that even though he does not keep tabs on her life, he would be there for her if she called him. “I will be there for her if she calls me in the middle of the night also, but I am not needed in her life,” he said.
Shweta has previously accused Raja of domestic violence and claimed that his alcoholism led to many problems in their marriage. She claimed that Raja used to beat her up every day as well as turn up on the sets of her shows and misbehave with her.
DISCLAIMER: This article reflects personal experiences and emotional distress shared during an interview. It is intended for informational and reflective purposes only and does not constitute psychological, legal, or marital advice.
