Payal Ghosh Sparks Controversy With Claims About ‘Love Affair’ With Former Cricketer

Indian actress and politician Payal Ghosh, who currently holds the position of Vice President in Ramdas Athawale”s Republican Party of India, stirred up a row on social media today by sharing a post claiming that she had a love affair with former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan.

In a post accompanied by a photograph with Irfan Pathan, all-rounder and a member of the Indian cricket team that won the inaugural 2007 ICC Twenty20 World Cup and 2013 ICC Champions Trophy, Payal Ghosh opened up about the emotional toll the alleged breakup took on her life. She wrote, “After we broke up… I fell ill… I couldn’t work for years… but he was the only guy whom I loved… after that I never loved anybody.”

This revelation triggered a wave of reactions against the actor who had earlier alleged rape charges against Bollywood director Anurag Kashyap, with some criticizing Ghosh for bringing her personal life into the public domain and using life with exes to gain attention.

Journalist and activist Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj expressed her disapproval, questioning Payal Ghosh”s motives for sharing such personal details. Bhardwaj tweeted, “Do u have absolutely no work in life that you have to stoop to these lows to get some cheap attention? #MeToo ke time Jo footage mili thi usse shaanti nahi mili kya? He is a married man with kids. Tumhare ex-boyfriend tumhari photo daal denge to woman card nikaal logi.”

Another X user pointed out the insensitivity of Ghosh”s actions, given that Irfan Pathan has been married to Safa Baig since 2016 and has two children. The critic wrote, “Cricketer #IrfanPathan has been married to Safa Baig since 2016; has two sons. What was the need for #PayalGhosh to share this private picture after so many years (claims she dated him for 5-yrs since 2011)? Any estranged boyfriend doing this with his married girlfriend would be behind bars by now. GET A LIFE.”

In response to the criticism, Payal Ghosh defended her actions, stating that her life had been adversely affected, leading to depression and ongoing medication. She responded to one critic by saying, “My life was been screwed, I slipped into depression, still on medication… MC… tujhe game lagta hai yeh toh ok @ruksheda_psych please explain them the kind of emotional breakdown I’m going through for years… plssss explain.”