In the early 2000s, Karisma Kapoor was at the peak of her career, and her life was a subject of intense public interest. After her highly-publicized engagement to fellow actor Abhishek Bachchan was abruptly called off, she surprised many by getting engaged to Delhi-based industrialist Sunjay Kapur just a few months later.
The pairing of a top Bollywood star with a wealthy businessman was seen by many as a modern-day fairytale. Despite Sunjay being a divorcee and a well-known figure in Delhi’s social circuit, sources close to the family at the time claimed that Karisma’s mother, Babita, saw him as an ideal match for her daughter. As one source told Hindustan Times, “Sunjay was a good catch and nothing else mattered except his industrialist tag.”
The couple’s grand wedding at the iconic RK Studios in Mumbai on September 29, 2003, was a spectacle, though many in Bollywood chose to stay away out of loyalty to the Bachchan family. Shortly after, Karisma wrapped up her film commitments and moved to Delhi. However, reports soon surfaced that the transition to a new life was not easy.
The first cracks in their marriage began to show. Sources claimed that Karisma struggled to adapt to Delhi’s high-society circle, finding it difficult to fit in. She also reportedly gave up her acting career, including her popular television show Karishma: A Miracle of Destiny, to appease her husband, who was said to be unhappy with her frequent trips to Mumbai for filming.
In 2005, following the birth of their daughter, Samaira, Karisma moved back to Mumbai and refused to return to Delhi. The couple separated, and Sunjay reportedly approached her with divorce papers. However, after a period of negotiation, they reconciled, and their son, Kiaan, was born in 2011.
The reconciliation proved to be short-lived. The marriage officially unraveled again, leading to a bitter and highly public divorce in 2016. In court filings, Karisma alleged domestic abuse and substance abuse on the part of Sunjay, claims his family denied, blaming the issues on Babita’s “interference” in Karisma’s life.
After the divorce, Sunjay remarried Priya Sachdev in 2017, and the couple had a son. While Karisma’s children, Samaira and Kiaan, remained close to their father, she largely stayed away from his new family. The delicate peace was shattered by Sunjay’s unexpected death in June 2025 in London.
His death ignited a new legal battle, with Karisma’s children accusing their stepmother, Priya, of forging a will to seize control of Sunjay’s reported ₹30,000 crore estate. The inheritance dispute is now being fought in the Delhi High Court, bringing the family’s tumultuous history back into the spotlight.