Actor Sooraj Pancholi turned 28 years old today and as he is celebrating his birthday, he shared a heartfelt note expressing gratitude to everyone who stood by him and spoke about the ongoing case against him regarding actress Jiah Khan’s suicide.

The actor, who made his debut with 2015 film 'Hero' along with actress Athiya Shetty, wrote on his Instagram account that as he completes 28 years of his life, he wanted to share a few things that have been in his heart for a while now.

“I wanted to wait to speak out until the case ended, but it’s taken longer than expected. I don’t know where to start from. It is difficult to express some feelings when so many people, so many emotions are involved. First, I want to thank those who have stood by me like a pillar of strength. It has been a long journey that started when I was still trying to understand life. I have been fighting the case in court for the last 6 years, with patience and respect, waiting for the trial to be completed,” he wrote.

He also said that people are calling him ‘murderer’, ‘criminal’ and ‘abuser’ but he asserted that he is not a monster like he has been portrayed in the news. “I have been made to feel guilty without even being given a fair chance to prove the innocence,” he said.

 

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Today I complete 28 years of my life. I want to take up this moment to share a few thoughts that have been in my heart for a while. I wanted to wait to speak out until the case ended, but it’s taken longer than expected. I don’t know where to start from. It is difficult to express some feelings when so many people, so many emotions are involved. First, I want to thank those who have stood by me like a pillar of strength. It has been a long journey that started when I was still trying to understand life. I have been fighting the case in court for the last 6 years, with patience and respect, waiting for the trial to be completed. In this process I have been called a murderer, a criminal, an abuser and so much worse. I read these things about me almost every single day. And my heartfelt effort has always been to be strong, respectful and ignore it. But they still fill my and my loved ones’ heart with so much sadness. I don’t blame the people who call me names, because that’s how i have been portrayed in public, but i’m not the monster that has been portrayed in headlines. I know how easy it is to think the worst of someone and accuse them but it is exceptionally hard to prove myself innocent as there’s a procedure that we need to follow. A procedure that has taken long enough that i have been made to feel guilty without even being given a fair chance to prove my innocence. There have been accusations and assumptions but there has been no validation. But, this is not about what others say. This is about how I feel. For as long as I can remember, my dream has always been to make my parents proud. I have always tried to be a good son to them. In the last 6 years, I’ve tried harder everyday to achieve this dream and to be positive. So today, I am praying with my heart that our family can move forward, that the trial can come to a fair end and that I can give back all the love, support and strength I have received from so many of you. Thank you to all of you who constantly send positivity my way. You may not know it, but every single one of your prayers has helped.

A post shared by Sooraj Pancholi (@soorajpancholi) on Nov 9, 2018 at 1:27am PST

Sooraj, who is a son of actors Aditya Pancholi and Zarina Wahab, is currently working on Remo D’Souza dance-based film, which will also mark the debut of Katrina Kaif’s sister Isabelle Kaif.