Tulasi Gana Natya owner accused of kidnapping woman, forcing her to leave husband and son

Odisha’s renowned Tulasi Gana Natya is at the centre of a controversy after a man accused its owner Anant Narayan Dhal, alias Nandu Babu, of kidnapping his wife and forcing her to leave her family. The man claiming to be the husband of a prominent actress in the drama troupe has accused Nandu of holding his wife captive.

According to Shrikhetra Samantasinghar, Nandu has allegedly influenced his wife to become an actress and live with him, with no contacts from her family. He claimed that his wife, left him and their son ten years ago, and has since remained with Nandu.

He has further alleged that the issue has caused distress to him and their son. He raised doubts regarding whether his wife’s relationship with Nandu was voluntary or coercive. 

Reactions and Responses 

“I need justice for my kid. He has been deprived of his mother and her love & affection since the last 10 years. We had a love marriage. Because we two belonged to different castes, her family had not accepted our marriage,” alleged her self-proclaimed husband, Srikhetra Samantasinghar.

He further said, “However, we married and have a son together. Actually, her real name is not Sonali but Kagoji. Nandu has changed her name to Sonali Panda. Her actual name is Kagoji Palei that was later changed to Kagoji Samantasinghar after marriage.”

When contacted, Tulasi Gana Natya owner Anant Narayan Dhal said, “This is completely false and the truth can be known if you ask the woman in question. She has been part of our Natya since the last 10-12 years.”

No Words from Wife/Actress

Commenting on the issue, the actress stated, “Where was she since the last 12 years? We had married in 2013. He himself had brought me here and directed me to join the jatra party. I have no relationship with him since the last 12 years. He calls me sometimes, but I avoid him.”

“He was the one who helped me join jatra party. I was not aware of any jatra party back then. He has also tortured me. So, I cannot live with him. He was the one who left me. He is a habitual liar and manipulated me with his lies. He was in relationship with other girls even after marrying me. He would take to other girls and beat me up when I confronted him,” she further alleged.

“He left me and did not receive my calls. Even after I suffered so much, he did not change. Later, I came to know that he had a second marriage. Even his second wife has called and threatened and abused me. Since then, I have moved on and I’m happy with my parents. I will never go back to him,” she added.