Moonmoon had tough Kasautii in Zindagi

MISMATCH: Moonmoon's former husband, director Gautam Joglekar, with Nana Patekar

As Sampada in the Star Plus daily Kasautii Zindagi Kay, Moonmoon plays the emotional anchor in protagonist Anurag Basu's life. But off-screen, Moonmoon has had her share of personal upheavals.

Not many know that Moonmoon was married to Gautam Joglekar, son of filmmaker Sai Paranjype.

The marriage was short-lived, and the couple decided to part amicably. Joglekar recently directed the Marathi film, Pak Pak Pakaak, which starred Nana Patekar and Narayani Shastri.

NO REGRETS: Moonmoon, who plays Sampada in Kasautii Zindagi Kay

Admits Moonmoon, "Yes, I was married. Everything happened very suddenly; it was a typical case of marry in haste, repent at leisure. Within a few weeks of our wedding, we realised that we were not compatible.

Before things could take an ugly turn, we decided to go our separate ways."

Hasty decision

Moonmoon was married to Joglekar in 2001 and the marriage lasted only three months.

"I first knew of him when I was shooting for Ek Tukda Chand Ka (Zee) — he was the cinematographer. It was after a few months, when I began doing Kkusum (Sony), that I met him again. He was the cameraman for Kitne Kool Hai Hum (Zee).

As Kkusum and Kitne Kool Hain Hum were both Balaji shows, we often met at the shoots. It all began with an exchange of telephone numbers and long conversations.

Then, one day, we went out for lunch — at the end of it, he proposed! I was 21 and thought this is what love and marriage was. He later met my family, and even though I am Bengali and he is Maharashtrian, it was never an issue."

Wrong choice

Ten days later, they wed in Pune, Joglekar's hometown. But within weeks of the marriage, Moonmoon realised that she could not handle the situation.

"I was extremely immature. I realised that I had made the wrong decision. His lifestyle and temperament was extremely different. It was in our best interests to end the relationship. "

Moonmoon returned to her parents' home and began focussing on her career. "There is no animosity between us; I have nothing against him. We just made the wrong choice," explains the actress.

Recalling the brief interaction with former mother-in-law, Sai Paranjpye, she says, "We stayed in the same building on different floors. I would go to her room and we would talk on many things."

Though Moonmoon is doing television and modelling at the moment, she is also extremely interested in films. "It's my dream to do a Ram Gopal Varma film," she confesses. Until then, there's always television.