Tough times ahead for Gunjan Utreja

Gunjan Utreja outside the family court in Bandra. Pic/Shadab Khan

TV Gunjan Utreja, who shot to fame with the show Aamna Samna, was spotted visiting the family court on Wednesday afternoon. The actor who is said to have claimed to be single all this while, has now been dragged to court by Pallavi Utreja, his wife of seven years.

Gunjan Utreja outside the family court in Bandra. Pic/Shadab Khan

Pallavi's lawyer Archita Jani has filed for interim maintenance as the actor's wife is said to be jobless and has to ask her parents for money. The actor's wife had apparently filed for maintenance in November 2012, but she didn't get any compensation from her celebrity husband.

It is being said that Gunjan and Pallavi married in October 2007 in Chandigarh. They moved to Mumbai in 2009 and since then, their relationship is said to have deteriorated. Pallavi's mother, Tripti Poswal, alleges, "My daughter worked with an event company but was asked to leave her job. Gunjan would come home late - he'd be rude to Pallavi and at times, he physically hurt her as well.'' She points out that the actor claiming to be single in several media interviews upset them deeply.

Pallavi's lawyer Archita Jani refused to comment, so did Gunjan's lawyer Usha Thakur. The actor also got into an argument with mid-day photographer Shadab Khan while leaving the court premises; he threatened to break Khan's camera. The actor, however, denied this. He also said that he has never attempted to hide his marriage.

"All my friends know that I am married. They also know about the court case and as far as the maintenance plea is concerned, let the court decide about it. I don't want to get into the blame game, but I am a man of integrity. I was misquoted in the media reports that stated that I am single. All this is being done for money and in order to defame me.

I'll stand up for what is right and fight it out in the court," he said.