Thiruvananthapuram: A 45-year-old woman residing in the Kerala state capital of Thiruvananthapuram is claiming she is the daughter of Bollywood singer Anuradha Paudwal, according to Indian media reports.
The woman, Karmala Modex, (45 years) claims Paudwal handed her over to her foster parents Ponnachan and Agnes when she was barely four days old as she had a busy playback singing schedule and did not want to raise a child at the time.
For the record, Anuradha Paudwal, (65 years), is an Indian playback singer in Bollywood. She was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award, by the Government of India in 2017. She is a recipient of the National Film Award and a four-time winner of the Filmfare Award. She was married to Arun Paudwal, a music composer. They have a son named Aditya Paudwal and a daughter Kavita Paudwal who is a singer by profession like her mother.
According to Indian media reports, Karmala said Ponnachan told about her biological parents some years ago in his death bed. Since then, she has been trying to reach out to the singer but to no avail.
Karmala has filed a case in the district family court, Thiruvananthapuram.
In a statement to an Indian media, Karmala said: “My foster father Ponnachan confessed on his deathbed that my biological mother was actually Anuradha Paudwal. I was told that I was four days old when I was handed over to my foster parents. Ponnachan, who was posted in the Army in Maharashtra at the time, was friends with Anuradha. Later, he got a transfer to Kerala,” she is said to have told indianexpress.com in a telephonic conversation on Thursday.
Ponnachan reportedly told Karmala about her biological mother a few days before his eventual death. News reports claim that even his wife Agnes was unaware that she is the daughter of a popular singer.
Ponnachen and Agnes who have three sons, raised Karmala as their fourth child. Agnes, now aged 82, is currently bed-ridden and reportedly suffers from Alzheimer’s disease.
After her father’s revelation, Karmala reportedly tried to contact the singer over the phone several times but was turned away. She claimed her number was even blocked after sometime. “Now, we have decided to pursue it legally. She’s my mother and I want her back,” said Karmala, a wife and mother of three.
Her advocate Anil Prasad said the district family court in Thiruvananthapuram has asked Paudwal and her two children to appear in person on January 27 when the case comes up for hearing, according to reports. He said he had tried to contact the singer and her two children before filing the case but never got a positive response from them.
Karmala has sought a compensation of Rs 50 crore from her biological parents for allegedly denying her the childhood and life she was entitled to. A demand for an injunction on further sale of all assets belonging to Arun Paudwal has also been sought. If Paudwal and her husband reject Karmala’s claim, she would ask for a DNA test, Prasad said.
