Actor-filmmaker Pooja Bhatt has opened up about the real reason her marriage to former husband Manish Makhija did not work, revealing that it was a growing sense of loneliness—not infidelity or conflict—that led her to walk away from the relationship after 11 years.In a recent conversation with Vickey Lalwani, Pooja revisited her marriage to Manish, whom she met while working on her directorial debut Paap. The couple tied the knot in a private ceremony in Goa in 2003 before parting ways in 2014.

‘There was nobody else’

Addressing long-standing assumptions surrounding their separation, Pooja said many people believed there must have been another person in her life when she decided to end the marriage.“A lot of my friends asked me, ‘You’ve been married for 11 years. Why are you ending the marriage? Is there someone else?’ The answer was no. There was nobody else. I wasn’t even thinking about another person,” she said.According to Pooja, the breakdown of the marriage stemmed from emotional disconnection.“I ended my marriage because I felt lonely in that relationship. When you are living with someone and still feel alone, that relationship has stopped being a relationship. You slowly lose each other while living under the same roof,” she shared.

‘I had lost myself as a woman’

Pooja said her relationship with Manish was built on friendship and trust, but over time she felt they had drifted apart.“I told him that our relationship had begun with friendship and trust. I never looked over your shoulder and I never will. But I felt it was over. We had lost each other, and somewhere along the way, I had lost myself as a woman. I wanted myself back.”She added that continuing the marriage would have felt dishonest.“It would have been a lie to continue the marriage, and I cannot live a lie,” she said.

‘I would not blame another person for my unhappiness’

The actor explained that she wanted to take ownership of her own happiness rather than hold someone else responsible for her emotional state.“I was very clear that I would not spend the rest of my life blaming another person for my unhappiness,” she said.Today, Pooja believes the most important relationship in her life is the one she shares with herself.“I am the captain of my own ship. I have been fortunate to have wonderful relationships in my life, but today I am enjoying the most profound and sacred relationship of all, the relationship I have with myself.”

Why motherhood influenced her decision

Pooja also revealed that her lack of desire to become a mother was another sign that the marriage was not working for her.“One of the reasons I knew my marriage wasn’t working was that I didn’t want to have children. I love children, but the desire to become a mother never came.”She said she trusted her instincts rather than forcing herself into a role she did not genuinely want.“I was working throughout my thirties and had many things I wanted to do. But the feeling of becoming a mother simply wasn’t there. I listened to my body and my instincts.”According to Pooja, not having children made it easier for both of them to assess the future honestly.“Fortunately, we didn’t have children, so we could think honestly about what was right for us,” she added.

‘We don’t speak anymore’

While the former couple initially remained cordial after their separation, Pooja revealed that they are no longer in touch.“Even after our marriage ended, we remained friends because I believed there was mutual respect between us.”However, she said things changed over the years.“Munish and I don’t speak anymore. We haven’t spoken for a very long time. There was a period when I genuinely thought we were friends. Then the lockdown happened, and I think it changed people in many ways. Masks came on, but certain masks also came off.”Reflecting on their relationship today, she said, “We had a friendship, or at least I thought we did. But if a friendship cannot survive difficult times, then perhaps it wasn’t friendship at all. It couldn’t withstand the test of time.”

‘There is no resentment’

Despite no longer sharing a friendship, Pooja said she has no bitterness towards her former husband.“I truly wish him well. There is no malice, no resentment. I have moved on.”She also made it clear that while she remains open to finding love again, she is not searching for someone to complete her life.“I am content. I am open to a relationship, but I am not looking for a solution. I am looking for a companion in the truest sense of the word. If one comes along, wonderful. If not, life is still good.”