Actors Imran Khan and Lekha Washington have been dating for quite some time now. Imran was previously married to Avantika Malik, but the two parted ways, following which he began a relationship with Lekha. Ever since their relationship became public, Lekha has faced scrutiny online and has often been labelled a “homewrecker”. Recently, the actor and artist responded to the criticism and opened up about being judged for her personal life.
‘The society we live in can be controlling’
Lekha spoke about her career in South Indian cinema and her journey as an artist. She told ETimes, “I’ve spent a decade working down South as an actor and another decade creating art. In between, there was some difficult press. I stayed quiet for a long time, but now I’m easing my throat a little bit. It’s been a journey of opening up. There may be someone out there like me who sees that it’s possible to feel free, even in a culture that often tells you to behave, to clip your wings. The society we live in can be controlling, but we have to resist that. For a while, it left me feeling hopeless. But in this moment, I finally feel a sense of clarity.”
‘Has been labelled homewrecker’
Speaking about her relationship with Imran and how people often feel free to judge others despite not knowing the full story, she said, “Since I was 16, I’ve been called all kinds of names — growing up in Chennai and even later. Labels like ‘sl*t’ and ‘homewrecker’ are often used to diminish and control women. They don’t define me, and I refuse to shrink myself to fit someone else’s need to cut me down. That’s where I stand today. People who use these labels don’t know the reality. No one truly understands the intricacies of someone else’s relationship, so how can they pass judgment? I’d much rather focus on conversations around my work. After putting out original work, if the first thing people reduce me to is my proximity to a man, that says more about them than it does about me.”
Imran Khan’s love story
Imran Khan and Avantika Malik were childhood sweethearts. They began dating when they were 19 and later tied the knot in 2011. The couple welcomed their daughter, Imara Malik Khan, in 2014. However, after nearly eight years of marriage, they separated in 2019 and eventually divorced.
Following the end of his marriage, Imran began dating Lekha Washington in 2020. The two reportedly grew closer during the Covid-19 lockdown and have been together ever since.