Mumbai: TV actress Muskan Nancy James, 33, who married Prashant Motwani, 36, (actress Hansika Motwani’s brother) in December 2020, has lodged a police complaint against him, her mother-in-law Jyoti Motwani, and her sister-in-law Hansika Motwani.
The Amboli police registered an FIR on December 18 under Sections 498-A (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.
According to the FIR, the actress who complained resides in Andheri West. She met her husband through a dating app a few years ago, and Motwani proposed to her. In 2020, after the death of a relative, James expressed her wish to delay the marriage.
However, James claims her mother-in-law pressured her to marry the same year, stating to arrange her son’s marriage to another girl if she refused. Due to this pressure, James agreed to marry Motwani in 2020.
The FIR further stated that soon after the marriage, James’ mother-in-law began demanding costly watches and Rs 1 lakh in cash from James’ mother’s house under the pretence of rituals. She also demanded other items during the wedding.
However, James alleges that her in-laws were never satisfied, frequently insulted her, and defamed her family. Additionally, James claims that the marriage venue was decided without her or her family’s consent and that her family was coerced into paying for the booking. Her in-laws reportedly insisted on a lavish wedding in Udaipur, citing Hansika Motwani’s fame as an actress.
James’ mother, a widow, informed her in-laws that they could not afford such expenses. Despite this, they allegedly demanded Rs 20 lakh for booking the resort. Her husband suggested borrowing money from a bank, but James could not secure a loan. Her mother-in-law then suggested selling their parking slot, which also could not be sold. James claims her family was eventually forced to sell their two-bedroom flat in Kandivali West to fund the wedding. They sold the flat and gave Rs 20 lakh to her in-laws.
James intended to use the remaining money to purchase a home, but her mother-in-law insisted on investing it in her daughter’s name, which James refused. Under pressure, James ended up purchasing a house in her husband’s name.
She further alleges that her in-laws forced her to maintain an extravagant lifestyle, which she disliked, and provided her with fake jewellery, including a mangalsutra, during the wedding. James also accuses her sister-in-law of instigating her husband against her.
James claims she suffered domestic violence and stress, which led to her developing Bell’s Palsy. The couple has been living separately for over two years. Eventually, she approached the Amboli police and filed a complaint against her husband, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law.
