Amid a flurry of sexual harassment allegations against several men in the industry, another film personality faces charges of abuse. However, this case is not related to sexual harassment but to domestic abuse. The former wife of Marathi filmmaker Nagraj Manjule, known for his critically acclaimed film Sairat, has accused him of physical and mental torture.

In an interview to The Quint, Sunita Manjule, who got married to Nagraj at the age of 18, spoke about her troubled marriage and sufferings.

According to Sunita, she lived with his family in a village after the marriage while he was away for his studies in Pune.

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Nagraj, who always aspired to become a filmmaker, allegedly abandoned his wife at the very beginning of his success.

Recalling an incident after he won the National Award for his short film, Pistulya, Sunita said the family went to Delhi for the award ceremony leaving her behind at home.   

“I was in for a rude shock when I realised that I was not a part of my husband’s plans. Not only that, his entire family went to Delhi. Not only did they go without me, they also locked me inside the house while they were leaving,” she said.

“The husband I knew slowly vanished into the filmmaker. Slowly, his visits dwindled and whenever he would come, he would get his friends, sometimes male sometimes female, along. I would cook, serve and be the best host possible. But he would never even acknowledge my presence in front of his friends,” she added.

Sunita Manjule, who never wanted to part ways with her husband, now lives with her parents and siblings. She regrets that she is without a child even after 15 years of marriage.

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“He can’t afford to get bogged down by familial ties, when he has filmy dreams to chase,” she said.

“This is why he made me go for 2-3 abortions, and whenever I raised my voice for keeping the child, he thrashed me, with his bare hands, leather belt and sometimes, a log of wood,” Sunita added.

The couple filed for divorce in 2012 and it was finalised in 2014, with Sunita getting a Rs 7 lakh settlement amount. She now works as a domestic help to earn a living.