After almost 69 days, actor Sheezan Khan was granted bail in an alleged case of abetment to suicide. It was registered against him by Tunisha Sharma's mother after the 20-year-old actress was found dead on Ali Baba: Dastaan-E-Kabul's set in Vasai on December 24, 2022. He was arrested a day after the unfortunate incident. Sheezan walked out free from the jail on Sunday and reunited with his mother Kehekshan Faisi and sisters Shafaq Naaz and Falaq Naaz.
As the family finally breathes a sigh of relief after months of stress and trauma, PeepingMoon.com spoke to Shafaq. Recalling the moment Sheezan stepped out of prison, she said, "We reached slightly early and the wait to see Sheezan was getting tough. I couldn't wait to hug him. Finally, we went to receive him and not just meet him for 10 minutes. Whatever happened on December 24 kept flashing right in front of my eyes but when he came out and hugged us, we went blank."
Talking about Sheezan's jail tenure and how it won't be easy for him to return to normalcy anytime soon, Shafaq told us, "It's not easy to come back to normal so instantly. We have no idea what happens inside the jail. We would never wish this upon anybody. Sheezan spent almost 2 months there so it won't be easy for him especially when he was arrested for no fault. Agar kuch galat nahi kiya aur phir bhi saza mile toh normal hone mein time lagega. He didn't even get a chance to digest the fact that Tunisha is no more. Everything happened so quickly and unexpectedly that there was no time to process the news."
When asked whether their silence was taken as a weakness during the entire investigation, Shafaq said, "Honestly, we never got the time to sit back, think about all this and digest it. Nobody has seen jail or court in our family and when such a situation came, we didn't know how to deal with it. Our only focus and primary concern was Sheezan and how to get him out of jail. I believe sach kabhi chillata nahi hai, jhooth chillata hai."
Does the family wish to take legal action against Tunisha's family members for the allegations they made? Shafaq replied, "I don’t wish to talk about these things right now. There's already a case that's pending and lawyers are looking into the matter." Opening up about how excessive paparazzi culture led to negative media trial, she shared, "There was way too much of media trial in the initial phase. A lot of things were shown negatively, for example, the hijab picture. People noticed Tunisha in hijab but didn't see Ganpati's murti and aarti. Maybe this is all to make news and headlines. However, the media did come to our support later. That made us stronger and we have gratitude for their support. Hum jab bhi court jaate the bail ke liye tab voh humari permission ke bina click nahi karte the."
After Sheezan's arrest and Tunisha's demise, the makers of Ali Baba: Dastaan-E-Kabul revamped the show with new actors. A new storyline and chapter were introduced with Abhishek Nigam and Manul Chudasama. Shafaq politely refused to talk about the daily soap and said, "Kya bolu main uske baare mein. Sheezan’s not a part of it now. Uske baare baat karke kuch hona nahi hai."
Opening up about how celebrities are constantly followed and tracked on social media and the problems caused due to exposure, Shafaq, who's also an actor, told, "When you're a public figure, people are interested in knowing more about you. Every profession has its pros and cons and that changes with the situation. When something good is happening with you, media attention is enjoyed whereas when there's bad happening in your life, it doesn't feel good. Due to social media and phones, celebrities are clicked anywhere and everywhere. Celebrity hai toh uska alag pressure hota hai to look good and behave properly. That's a part of life. However, I feel the media and fans should behave responsibly and not misinterpret a statement in a way that it affects the artist adversely. I understand it is your job but please draw a line.
As she signed off, Shafaq assured fans of Sheezan that he will bounce back soon and won't look back ever again. "Inshallah very soon he will bounce back to work. Bure phases sabke life mein aate hai aur Sheezan bohot strong hai. Ab tak itna strong raha hai aur aage bhi rahega. Yaha se voh kabhi peeche mudke nahi dekhega."
