I want to be with Yuvraj forever, but don't want to marry him: Pearl Grey

Pearl Grey boarded a Mumbai bound train without a ticket with a dream to enter the entertainment industry. A decade later, she is one of the more successful producers in the TV industry. Her show, Pratigya, has not only struck the right chords with the masses but also impressed critics. Pearl’s split with director-producer Rajan Shahi sent ripples across the TV industry. Furthermore, media has written extensively about her relationship with actor Yuvraj Malhotra. In a no holds barred interview with Tellychakkar, Pearl spoke pretty openly about her professional and personal life. Excerpts: Pratigya is still entertaining the masses. How did you come up with its concept? I have my roots in Uttar Pradesh. I have seen how women get mistreated there. Eve-teasing is rampant. So, it was always in the back of my mind to deal with this issue. Furthermore, Pratigya deals with varied problems faced by women all across India. It is a fight against exploitation, discrimination and humiliation against women. The show clicked as people could relate to it. I want to thank Manmohan Shetty’s Walkwater Productions for joining hands with me in this endeavour. Did you always want to be a part of the entertainment industry? Not really. It just happened, but somewhere deep down the urge was always there. After finishing college, I boarded a Mumbai bound train without a ticket in the year 1997-98. It was crazy. I wanted to produce shows, but then writing happened. So I started writing which gave me respect. The first show which I wrote was Suhana Safar. My biggest success came with Dil Hain Ki Manta Nahin. Then things rolled on, I joined Zee, learnt a lot and finally opened my own production house. How did Spellbound Productions happen? Well, after I quit Zee TV I knew I had to do something on my own. I wanted to produce my own shows where I could depict my thoughts and ideas. I wanted more freedom as a writer. I want to thank Vivek Bahl who helped me a lot to float Spellbound Productions in 2009. We are young but certainly growing. How has the journey been till date? Enlightening and amazing. My stint at Zee TV helped me to grow professionally and become a good producer and a better writer. The journey has been long and growth oriented. I am quite happy with the way things have shaped up. You were married to Rajan Shahi. Later you both parted ways. What went wrong? Ahhh (silence). I met Rajan during the show Dil Hain Ki Manta Nahin. I was looking for a new director so I roped in Rajan, as he was quite talented. We bonded on the sets and fell in love. We got married in 2000. This was my second marriage. But somehow things did not work out; there were differences of opinions, so we decided to call it quits in 2008. But everything happened amicably. We are still in touch with each other. Continue… I never wanted to become a businesswoman. I have always seen myself as a good wife, a good mother and a good homemaker. No one really marries with the thought of parting ways in the future. It’s painful and sad. Life is not a bed of roses. We need to move on. What about your children? I have two children who stay with me. I have Ansh (16) from my first marriage and Ishika (9) from Rajan. Both are beautiful, lovely and well-behaved. Did the split affect them? I don’t think so. Ishika is too young and Ansh is mature enough. Divorces are not a new thing in Mumbai. Ansh has friends who have greater and graver problems at home. So, I don’t think it affected them much. What’s your equation with actor Yuvraj Malhotra? Yuvraj and I are deeply in love with each other. We met during a social function in 2009 and later fell in love. He is eight years younger to me. A lot has been written about us in the media. They said we have decided to part ways. But it is not true. Who doesn’t fight in a relationship? It is not easy for people to digest the fact that an older woman can be in a healthy and steady relationship with a younger man. But we have proved everyone wrong. My children have also accepted Yuvraj. But I don’t want to marry him. Marriages make things difficult. So, I will be with him forever, but won’t marry. Do you have insecurities in life? No. I have always been comfortable in my own space. I have complete faith in my hard work. I know one thing pretty clearly. I have to work hard to give my children a good life. Whatever I do is for the good of my children. The TV industry keeps you busy 24/7. How do you unwind? After a hectic day, the only thing that calms me down is a long drive. I absolutely love it. What are your future plans? We are coming up with a show on Star Plus called Pyaar Ki Naukri. It will depict a different love story based in Mumbai. We are yet to finalise the cast and crew. Later, we shall also come up with more TV shows and definitely make a foray into film production. So, there’s a lot in store for the future (smiles).