Meet actress whose father abandoned her, her mother grabbed her earnings, got pregnant without marriage, married to superstar, now divorced, she is now..

From childhood, this actress faced adversity when her father abandoned the family. At a very young age, she became the breadwinner and had to leave school to pursue an acting career as a child artist at the mere age of 5. Soon she became a big star, and with popularity came wealth, however, her mother reportedly used to torture her and grabbed all her money and property. She became pregnant without marriage and tied the knot to a superstar; however, the relationship didn’t work out. It was also reported that she tried to kill herself, and attempted suicide. We are talking about National Award winning-actress Sarika.

Sarika’s career: From child artist to heroine

Despite childhood trauma, Sarika became popular as a child artist with her breakthrough performance in the 1967 musical hit Hamraaz. She went on to act in several films as a child before transitional to adult roles with Rajshri Productions’ Geet Gaata Chal. In a career spanning over five decades, the actress worked in several films and collaborated with high-profile actors, including Rajesh Khanna, Shashi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, and Farooque Shaikh, among others.  In 2020, she was honoured with the National Film Award for Best Costume Design for the film Hey Ram. Her performance in Parzania earned her the National Film Award for Best Actress. She marked her television debut with Yudh alongside Amitabh Bachchan. Beyond acting, she was a costume designer, sound designer, and associate director. 

Sarika’s live-in relationship with Kamal Haasan

Despite professional triumphs, Sarika suffered a lot in her personal life. She had an affair with Kamal Haasan. She began living with the South superstar in 1988. She quit acting during the peak of her career for Kamal Haasan, who was already married to Vani Ganapathy. Sarika moved to Chennai and started living in a live-in relationship with Kamal. During that time, She got pregnant with their first daughter Shruti Haasan in 1986, following which the two got married. Their younger daughter, Akshara, was born in 1991. However, their relationship hit a rough patch, and they separated in 2002 and divorced in 2004. It was reported that after the break-up with Kamal, she once tried to commit suicide. Actually, Kamal had started dating co-star Gautami at that time, which broke Sarika's heart. 

Did Sarika break after her divorce from Kamal Haasan?

Sarika had earlier spoken about facing financial difficulties after her divorce. During the conversation on Simi Garewal's chat show, she shared that after the divorce, she was left with only Rs 60 and her car. She described how she relied on friends for basic necessities, such as meals and a place to bathe, often sleeping in her car at night. Meanwhile, she made a comeback in 2022 with the OTT series 'Modern Love Mumbai'. She was last seen in Sooraj Barjatya's film 'Uunchai'.