Indraneil Sengupta recently opened up about how the definition of marriage changed for him amid his separation from wife Barkha Bisht. “I don’t believe that two actors can have a relationship that would really work out. Even in my marriage, if someone says that it hasn’t worked out, I will say it has. It had been for 13 years. It didn’t last forever. Why is the idea of a relationship for ‘forever’ only? Who said it is forever? It’s great if it is forever. But it might not be,” shared Sengupta, who shared that “I am not yet divorced. The process is still going on.”
Sengupta added that over the years, there were good and not-so-good moments in their marriage. “Have there been good years? Yes! Have there been good moments? Yes! Have there been bad moments? Yes! Also, what happens is two people together also have their individual journeys that may or may not come together in unison all the time. No one is wrong. Even the personality changes over the years change the relationship. Both of us were very different people. We knew from Day 1. But as the years have passed, I think we became more of ourselves,” Sengupta said on The Real Story with Sanghmitra Hitaishi podcast.
Emphasising that he doesn’t “agree to the word ‘failure,” he said: “I don’t think anything has failed.”
He also expressed that a marriage should not be a compulsion. “People give examples of the past generations, but many don’t realise that many of those relationships were based on dependency. One person being completely dependent on the other…Today, it is not there. Everyone is questioning their relationship more,” Sengupta, 50, added.
Here’s what to consider (Photo: Freepik)
Remarking on advice he received during his separation, he shared, “I have been told to protect the family. Do what all men do. But save your marriage. Is this advice?” On his evolution, Sengupta, a father to a 12-year-old daughter, shared, “I am able to own up, I am able to be real and also logical.”
So, does the concept of marriages lasting forever need a rethink?
People have their reasons, and they must have gone through a lot before they decided to get a divorce, said clinical psychologist Divya Ratan. “So, it’s okay if a marriage doesn’t last forever. It is better to be separated than stuck in a loop where both partners have reconcilable differences. Treating the person as a failure or people who have lost all respect is wrong,” Ratan asserted.
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Culturally, we’re raised to believe that love should culminate in marriage, and marriage should last till the end of time. Any deviation from this idea is often seen as a failure. “But love doesn’t always operate by that logic. People grow. They evolve. The woman you married at 27 may not be the same person at 37. Nor should she be. And the man who once felt like home may eventually walk a path that no longer aligns with yours. This isn’t betrayal. It’s evolution,” said Delnna Rrajesh, psychotherapist, and relationship life coach.
What to note if you’re re-evaluating your marriage
Your relationship can be complete without being lifelong: Not every soul connection is meant to last forever. Some are here to spark growth, healing, and self-awareness, and then move on.
Let go of guilt: You’re not wrong for evolving. You’re not bad for needing something different than what you once desired. Maturity is knowing when to stay – and when staying is no longer healthy.
Stop comparing to the previous generation: Earlier generations often stayed in marriages out of dependency or pressure. Today, we have more freedom, and with it comes responsibility. You’re allowed to ask: Is this still nourishing me?
Redefine what success in love means for you: Is success a 40-year marriage built on silence and compromise? Or is it an 8-year marriage where both people felt deeply loved and seen before they chose separate paths?
No one is the villain: People change. Priorities shift. A relationship can drift apart without blame. “No one is wrong,” as Sengupta said – and that’s a truth we must normalise.
