In an interview with Hauterrfly, Anjali Anand revealed that a significant relationship in her teen years helped her escape years of emotional and physical manipulation. The “Dabba Cartel” actress described a traumatic experience that began when she was eight after her father died.

She shared a series of trauma where the dance teacher “tried to make her a family” and explained how he tried many inappropriate things. “I didn’t know what to do. I was eight, just after my dad passed. He told me, ‘I am your dad,’ and I believed him because I didn’t know any better. Then he started very slowly he gave me a peck on my lips and said, ‘It is what dads do” she elaborated.

Anand disclosed that he controlled her appearance and friendships. “He wouldn’t let me keep my hair open. He wouldn’t let me wear girls’ clothes; he made me wear his old T-shirts so that I didn’t look appealing to others” she shared.

Things started to get better when she met her first boyfriend at her sister’s wedding. “When my sister got married and my dad’s best friend’s son came to the wedding, he had a crush on me and started talking to me. That’s when I thought, ‘This feels normal” she further added.

She went on expressing her frustration “I just felt stuck” and detailed how the teacher used to stalk her “He used to keep tabs on my itemised billing—he knew what messages I was sending. He caught me talking to this guy. He used to wait outside my school to pick me up. And everybody was like, ‘Why is he always there?’ But nobody even tried to see why.”

This was the first time that Anand engaged in a healthy interaction after years of isolation and control until she was 14.

Upcoming Projects

Anand’s received appreciation for her performance in Netflix’s series “Dabba Cartel” alongside Shabana Azmi, Shalini Pandey, and Jyotika. She is set to appear next in Faraz Arif Ansari’s “Bun Tikki” with co stars Abhay Deol, Shabana Azmi, Zeenat Aman, and Nushrratt Bharuccha.