a day ago
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Radhika Yadav murder: Dubai-based Indian actor denies rumours of involvement in case
Indian actor and singer Inam-ul-Haq, who recently relocated to Dubai, said he is in disbelief after being pulled into controversy surrounding the murder of former tennis player Radhika Yadav — a woman he said he met just once at a brief music video shoot over a year ago.
'I've seen this kind of thing happening to people in films. Now it's happening to me,' the 27-year-old told Khaleej Times on Saturday (July 12). 'It feels like a nightmare, and I hope I wake up.'
Radhika, 25, was allegedly shot dead by her father, Deepak Yadav, at their Gurugram home on July 10. She was reportedly preparing a meal for her mother's birthday when she was shot four times in the back. Her father, 49, has confessed to the killing, with investigators citing "social pressure, ego, and a patriarchal mindset as contributing factors".
Inam said the only connection to Radhika is a short music video they appeared in together — a clip which is now widely circulating online. He fears it is being weaponised to fuel baseless and unfounded narratives.
'I'm especially disturbed that this is being twisted into a Hindu-Muslim story with phrases like Love Jihad thrown around casually. There was nothing of the sort. We worked together once, and that's it. Everything else is rubbish," the actor said.
Inam clarified that the tennis event where he first heard of Radhika took place in New Delhi, not Dubai as erroneously reported by some Indian media outlets. At the time, he was based in Mumbai and working as a creative head for the Tennis Premier League. 'Someone mentioned a young tennis player who was interested in acting. I never met her then. We just followed each other on social media afterward, like many people do.'
It wasn't until a year later, when casting for a music video in Noida, that they crossed paths in person. 'That was the first and only time I met Radhika face-to-face. She came in a car with her mother, we exchanged pleasantries, and got on with the shoot,' he said. 'It lasted five or six hours at most. After that, we never met in person.'
Watch the video below, as shared by Inam:
Inam said the song for the music video had been shared with Radhika before the shoot. 'During the shoot, she mentioned that her father really liked it. She said, 'Bahut achcha laga unko' (He really liked it)."
He remembers Radhika as 'vivacious' and 'very comfortable in front of the camera.'
'She didn't look nervous or unsure, it didn't seem like her first time acting. But professionally, that was the extent of it. She was one of many actors I've worked with. We gave her a token amount for the unpaid project, and that was it.'
Inam, who moved to Dubai three months ago to set up business, Inam said he learned of her death around Friday noon. 'I was stunned into silence. Since then, I've received more than 150 calls. People are dragging me into something I have absolutely no connection with beyond that one shoot. It's deeply distressing.'
He reiterated: 'I only met her once during that video shoot. That was the first and last time we interacted in person.'
According to police, Radhika's father said he faced repeated taunts from villagers who questioned his daughter's independence and his reliance on her income. 'Some even questioned her character,' he allegedly told investigators. He reportedly asked her to shut down her tennis academy, and when she refused, he claimed it hurt his dignity.
