Esha Gupta breaks silence on dating rumours with cricketer Hardik Pandya: 'It ended before we…'

Esha Gupta has addressed the rumors about her relationship with cricketer Hardik Pandya. In a conversation with Siddharth Kannan, the actress revealed that although they were getting to know each other, it never developed into a formal relationship.

“Yeah, for some time we were talking. I don’t think we were dating, but yeah, we were talking for a couple of months. We were at that ‘maybe it will happen, maybe it won’t’ stage. It ended before we even reached the dating stage. So it wasn’t dating-dating. We met once or twice, that’s it. So yeah, as I said, it was a couple of months and then it ended," Esha revealed.

When asked if a relationship was possible, Esha admitted that it “maybe could have happened," but things didn’t progress. She noted that timing and compatibility weren’t right. “There was no drama or bitterness," she added. “It just wasn’t meant to be."

Esha, during the conversation, also touched upon the controversy surrounding Hardik Pandya's remarks on Koffee With Karan. She made it clear that the situation didn't impact her, as they had already ended communication by that point. Esha explained that since they were no longer in touch when the controversy arose, it didn't affect her personally. She mentioned, "That part didn’t affect me, because we had already stopped talking by then.”

Initially, when the infamous episode aired in 2019, Esha was among the few celebrities who publicly criticized it for its misogynistic tone. However, she now reveals that she refrained from adding to the criticism. “They were already going through enough. What good would it do if I jumped in with more criticism?" she said, adding that she had matured and preferred not to dwell on the past.

Esha also explained the reason behind their relationship not progressing. She mentioned her preference for grounded, meaningful relationships away from the public eye, which might have contrasted with Pandya's high-profile public life.

Esha recently starred in Ek Badnaam Aashram 3 Part 2 on MX Player alongside Bobby Deol and played DCP Laxmi Rathi in One Day: Justice Delivered. Rumors suggest she might join the cast of Hera Pheri 3, but it hasn't been confirmed.