'This lie took away 10 years of my life'

'What happened to Jiah was really unfortunate, but it was beyond my control.'

Ten years after he was accused of abetting the death by suicide of his then actor girlfriend Jiah Khan, Sooraj Pancholi has been acquitted by a special CBI court, citing 'lack of evidence' against him.

This brings closure to the young actor even as his mother Zarina Wahab asks, 'Who will give Sooraj Pancholi the 10 years he lost?'

The day after his acquittal, Sooraj tells Subhash K Jha, "I have woken up feeling not only relieved but also peaceful, which is bigger than anything in life."

How does it feel the morning after the acquittal?

Today, I have woken up feeling like an entirely new person.

I have woken up feeling not only relieved but also peaceful, which is bigger than anything in life.

I can't even begin to understand what you have gone through.

Only I know how I've tried to stay calm and composed.

To get out of my house and face the world.

Look people in the eyes.

I always thought they were judging me constantly.

They probably were, except those close to you.

Yes. I am proud of myself for holding on to my faith in the truth. I continued to fight this on merit and didn't battle it by talking rubbish in the media like the others in this case.

Do you see today as a rebirth?

For sure, this is the beginning of my life.

I am confident that only good things will come to me now.

I am happy that my family is finally at peace.

They must have gone through hell along with you.

I am sorry for the trouble I have caused them.

I am sorry I caused them so much pain.

To see one's parents suffer is not something anyone would want.

Looking back, do you regret anything?

What happened to Jiah was really unfortunate, but it was beyond my control.

She did not need me as much as she needed her family.

She needed the love and support of her own immediate family, not her boyfriend.

I hardly knew her for five months. I did the best I could for that short period.

Your ordeal is over now?

Yes, the honourable court's order is out.

Every single charge against me has been proven wrong.

All their witnesses have been discredited.

The honourable court used the legal term 'lack of evidence' while acquitting me.

That must be very reassuring after what you have been through.

There was not only lack of evidence against me, there was zero evidence.

This was a circus created by some people for their own entertainment.

It is sad that this lie took away 10 years of my life.

Even the letter (the alleged suicide note) for which I was arrested (10 years ago), the honourable court proved that it wasn't written by Jiah.

It is shocking to hear this.

Yes, this is the sad truth.

But now, I will try to leave this behind and move on.

It's time for me give back to my family the time I took away from them.

It's time to stand up and take care of my parents and sister, do good things in life.

I plan to settle down in life.

A lot needs to be planned. I never made any plans all these years.

Because life was so unpredictable?

Because my life was the most unpredictable.

The course of the law cannot be predicted.

So yeah, now is my rebirth. Thank you for being there for me.