In his biography, Anything But Khamosh, Shatrughan Sinha opened up with admirable candidness about his affair with Reena Roy, even as he was newly married to wife Poonam…

Shatrughan Sinha and Reena Roy never bothered to pretend they were only co-stars and ‘good friends’ as most celebrity couples did during the Eighties. This sizzling pair made no secret of their real-life intimacy. However, it was the love triangle that ensued that really raised eyebrows… Shatru proposed marriage to Poonam, while he was closely involved with Reena. The realisation that while Reena loved him Poonam worshipped him, was what apparently led to his decision.

Even more shocking, was the manner in which both women accepted this reality. Not only did Reena swallow this humiliating public rejection, Poonam also stayed silent on his extramarital affair which continued despite them being married. In fact, it is said that while all his close friends were distributing invitations to the Shatru-Poonam wedding, the man himself was away in London with Reena doing a stage show. Two days later he would return to India to wed his bride.

In an unexpected show of support, while Poonam waited in Bombay for her groom-to-be to return, knowing fully well he was with his girlfriend, Reena herself drove Shatru to Heathrow airport to see him off. Talk about having one’s cake…!

Pangs of Guilt
The phase was far from easy for Reena, however. Sinha reveals in his memoirs that after his marriage, he could see her battling confusion. Sometimes she would fly off to the Rajneesh ashram, sometimes stay over with someone in America. She wouldn't talk to him for days. He could not give her the position that she felt she deserved, and he couldn't do anything about it, he claims.

Withdrawing from his extramarital emotional entanglement wasn’t easy for Shatru either. While his wife Promi, as he calls Poonam, would weep incessantly, he did not want to appear callous to Reena’s feelings either. He was faced with her accusation that now that he had set up home, she was simply a toy to be used and cast away.

“It was not a comfortable position to be in,” he admits, adding that he was left feeling guilty constantly. “When you are at home, you feel guilty about neglecting the other woman. When you are with her, you feel guilty about your wife.” Matters would get worse on festivals like Karva Chauth and Teej when both women would fast all day for his long life and well-being…

To her credit, Promi handled the situation with rare grace. For instance, on one occasion when he was in Pakistan and the telephone operator at his hotel had two women on the line demanding they be put through to Shatru first, Poonam generously told the operator, “Never mind, put her on, she’s like my sister!”

The Ultimatum
Meanwhile Reena decided to take matters in hand. She refused to do any more films with Shatru – they were a hit pair of the time – and declared that if he didn’t marry her, she would get married to another man within eight days. Apparently, Reena was keen on Shatru having a second marriage, much like Dharmendra had done with Hema Malini. Even though Shatrughan was still emotionally involved with Reena – a filmmaker friend reveals that he saw him cry like a baby asking her to rethink her decision – he could not offer her marriage. As his friend Pahlaj Nihalani put it, he was probably too careful to risk ruining his reputation.

Reena managed to do what her lover of many years couldn’t – she cut ties. Marrying Pakistani cricketer Mohsin Khan she left for a new life, a new home. Today Shatru maintains he always thinks of her with respect and affection because she gave him comfort, calm and peace when he was going through an enormous dilemma. “I will forever remain obliged to her for that. Whenever we meet, it is with dignity.”