Scandal Flashback: Poonam Dhillon and Ashok Thakeria’s Ugly Split

BDC News

Sunday, 12 June 2016,
Why did the actress part ways with her husband? We revisit the story
Chandigarh girl Poonam Dhillon joined Bollywood when she was only 16. She had no ambition to become an actress since she was busy with her studies and sports but fate had other plans for her. It’s said Yash Chopra saw her photograph in a magazine and then approached her through common friends to offer her a role in Trishul.  The talk of a big filmmaker like Yash Chopra introducing a new face made Poonam an instant celebrity. Thus at 16, she worked with the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Rakhi, Shashi Kapoor and Sanjeev Kumar in her debut film. Poonam, who had signed Trishul just for fun, thought she would go back to Chandigarh after the shoot. But soon more offers came her way, the most prominent one being Noorie. The fact that she had an author-backed role made her rethink her decision to quit films and she decided to give it her best shot. Noorie was shot mostly in Jammu and Mumbai while Poonam was still in school. The producers had arranged her flights in such a way that she could give her exams in Delhi in the morning and fly to Mumbai for shoots in the afternoon or evening.

In her initial years, Poonam trusted only a few people in Bollywood – Yash and Pamela Chopra and Ramesh Talwar. Pamela was like a mentor to Poonam, teaching her all about hair, make-up and grooming. Even today the actress is very close to Pam. But there was another person who had a deep impression on Poonam – Ramesh Talwar, Yash Chopra’s assistant between 1969 and 1979, who later scripted Noorie and then turned director.
When Ramesh came up with the story of Noorie, the only girl he could think of for the title role was Poonam. He helped her a lot during the film and along the way, it’s said, they became more than good friends. But Poonam didn’t want the relationship to be talked about in the press. Even Ramesh would deny his close association with her, brushing off all rumours of a link-up saying, “She’s a nice girl. She’s friendly with all of us at the Yash Chopra camp.”
People could see that Ramesh was trying hard to suppress his feelings for her. But the same could not be said of Poonam who completely denied any relationship between them. Some people said they had jointly decided to keep their friendship a secret but Ramesh’s close friends like producer Ramesh Behl and actor Rishi Kapoor unknowingly spilled the beans. Once, when Rishi and Poonam were seated on a sofa on the sets of Yeh Vada Raha, a photographer asked Rishi to move a little closer to Poonam. The actor reportedly said, “Don’t be silly, yaar. She’s Ramesh Talwar’s exclusive property.”
The industry was soon abuzz with the news that she was secretly engaged to Ramesh. But the denials didn’t stop primarily because Poonam thought she would lose good offers that came her way. The media also reported that Ramesh had bought a bungalow for the pretty actress in Juhu. A source close to Ramesh said, “He bought Poonam a home where he thought they both could live happily ever after.” But the relationship did not have a happy ending. The relationship, it’s said, came to an end when a columnist wrote some nasty things about Yash (Chopra) and Poonam.
Throughout the affair, Poonam’s career never suffered and she was counted among the top actresses of the time. However, Poonam’s family felt it was time for her to get married and settle down. Poonam’s mother was on the lookout for an ideal groom for her daughter but the actress had other plans. After Ramesh Talwar, she allegedly had a brief involvement with married filmmaker Raj (fondly called Daddu) Sippy. Raj was obviously not willing to leave his wife for Poonam and the couple broke up. Insiders say she was very hurt when they split and many felt that she married producer Ashok Thakeria on the rebound.
Poonam met Ashok Thakeria through a common friend, producer-director Umesh Mehra. Poonam’s father had expired and she had decided not to celebrate Holi that year. Umesh, however, invited her to his Khandala farmhouse for the celebrations. She initially refused but agreed since Umesh and his wife Ritu were very close friends. Ashok, who was present at the bash, was instantly attracted towards her. “Why is she not playing Holi?” he is supposed to have asked Ritu who explained that she was mourning the loss of her father. Ashok decided to help her get out of depression and he apparently poured a bucket of water on her. That was the first time they met and though Poonam didn’t know anything about Ashok, she found him sweet and considerate. Thereafter, they spent some time chatting at the Holi celebrations.
Later, when Poonam returned to Mumbai, Ashok apparently sent her flowers almost every day till she accepted his proposal of marriage. She agreed and even decided to quit films to concentrate on domestic life.
Initially, they seemed to have a good marriage. Poonam sat at home doing nothing while Ashok got busy with work and expanding his production business. She then had her first child, Anmol, and was thrilled to be a mother. Sources say her sister and relatives advised her to do something to keep herself occupied, but Poonam enjoyed being a mother and went on to have a second child, Paloma. The first few years were great but as time passed, Poonam began to get bored of doing nothing. She then decided to take up television and did a show, Andaaz, produced by Himesh Reshammiya where she had to shoot just five months a month.