Shruthi - S Mahender granted divorce

Actress Shruti and director S Mahender's 13-year-old marriage has been ended with divorce. A family court on Thursday has granted their wish for the separation.

The ex-couple parted ways on a mutual consent due to irreconcilable differences. They had filed for the divorce in early 2009. "I'm 33 years old and I will live for another 30 years. I want to spend those 30 years peacefully and in an useful way. I have to think about my daughter's future also and I will never let her go with Mahendar. He is a good friend but is not a good husband at all." Shruti had told this after moving the court over her divorce settlement.

The court granted the custody of their only child to Shruti. While ordering it, the court said that S Mahender shall have the right to visit her daughter or to take her out. It also asked the director to transfer Basaveshwara Nagar residence to her name as alimony.

Shruthi, who was introduced to the film industry by Dwarakish, and Mahender fell in love and got their intercaste marriage done in the Puri Jagannath temple in 1998. Meanwhile, she is all set to marry Chandrachud, a former journalist-turned-film director.