Father sexually abused her as a child: actor-politician Khushbu

Chennai, Jaipur: Renowned Indian actor and National Commission for Women (NCW) member Khushbu Sundar has come forward with a shocking #metoo revelation. She alleged that her father sexually abused her at the age of 8, which according to her, was the "toughest" thing, reports NDTV.

Speaking at the "We The Women" town hall organised by Mojo Story in Jaipur, she said when she was 15, she started fighting him off, and then he left the family, leaving it to a difficult fate.

She said that the toughest thing which took her long not to forget or forgive was the abuse she faced from her father as a child. She chooses to put it behind her and move forward. When a child is abused, it scars the child for life, she said.

She continued that her mother went through a critically abused marriage in which she used to get beaten by her husband. He used beat their children too, and sexually abused his only daughter.

The man thought it was his birthright to torture his family, she said.

"And when my abuse started, I was just eight years old, and I had the courage to speak against him at the age of 15," NDTV quoted the actor.

"At 15, I thought that it was enough, and when I started revolting against, rebelling...he just left us with whatever we had, literally left us in the lurch. We didn't know where the next food was going to come from, and he just left us going," she said.

She said that she was glad she stood up against her abusive father because if she couldn't have, she would not have reached this far. She said confidently that if she could fight a man at home, she could easily manage the world.

Khushbu had her peak time ruling Tamil cinema in the 1990s. She had paired opposite Tamil superstars Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan and entered politics later. In 2020, she quit Congress and joined BJP.