Malaika Arora reveals her relationship with Arbaaz Khan improved after divorce: ‘He’s a wonderful man…’

Actor Malaika Arora revealed that her relationship with Arbaaz Khan has seen much improvement ever since they decided to end their marriage. The former couple had tied the knot in 1998 and finalised their divorce in 2017. They amicably co-parent their son, Arhaan together. Both parties are pursuing different relationships, as Malaika is dating Arjun Kapoor and Arbaaz Khan has moved on with Giorgia Andriani.

Speaking to Masala Magazine, Malaika said that she and Arbaaz have a ‘better’ equation now. “We are far more mature. We’re just happier, calmer people. He’s a wonderful man, I only wish him the best in life. Sometimes, people are wonderful but they just aren’t great together. That’s just how it is. I would always wish him well.” She also opened up about her decision to end her marriage.

She said that she decided to ‘put herself first’, something which led her to become a happier person. “I have a better relationship with my son; he sees that I am much happier. I have a much better relationship with my ex-husband. I’m happy I made these decisions and I stood up for myself. So, for women out there, don’t be scared. Don’t be afraid to follow your heart. Yes, you will ruffle feathers but life is not easy. You can’t make everyone happy,” she said.

Arjun and Malaika went public with their relationship in 2019, though fans had already concluded that they were indeed dating for several years before that. During his appearance on Koffee with Karan, Arjun said that they wanted to take small steps at a time before any public declaration, as they didn’t want anyone to get hurt. “I grew up in a disjointed family, and it was not easy to see what was going on, and still had to accept everything. I can’t just jump on her (Malaika). The first reaction could be ‘What do you mean?’ If you ease people in, they’ll understand,” he had said, adding, “It is my choice to be with her, but I cannot expect everyone to understand. It has to be allowed to grow. I cannot expect everyone to understand easily. Darja dena padta hai, and I had to ease everyone into it including the public eye.”