Bollywood filmmaker Sajid Khan, known for his comedic films and larger-than-life personality, made headlines not just for his movies but also for his high-profile relationship with actress Jacqueline Fernandez.

The two were a much-talked-about couple in the industry during the early 2010s, but their relationship came to an abrupt end.

What surprised many was Sajid Khan’s candid admission about how his personal life, specifically his relationship with Jacqueline, affected his professional decisions, particularly the box office failure of his 2013 film, Himmatwala. For unversed, Sajid Khan and Jacqueline Fernandez first met on the sets of Housefull 2 (2012), where sparks flew between the director and the Sri Lankan beauty. Their relationship quickly became the talk of the town, and the duo seemed inseparable for a while.

Shortly after, the couple went their separate ways. It wasn't long before Sajid opened up about the breakup and made some unexpected remarks about how his relationship with Jacqueline played a role in both their personal and professional downfalls.

During a conversation with the Times of India, Sajid Khan said, “While we broke up in May 2013, in reality right from December 2012. So you are already preparing your mind in those five months. Also, when you don’t have a woman in your life, you don’t have someone constantly nagging you, so you end up working better and are more focused.”

Sajid Khan blamed Jacqueline Fernandez for Himmatwala and Humshakal’s failure

In the same interview, the filmmaker said, “I went for a holiday with her for five days in the middle of making Himmatwala and felt so bad when the film didn’t do well. For Humshakals, I have not taken a single holiday.” Though Sajid may have casually attributed the failure of Himmatwala to Jacqueline, his other films also struggled to perform well at the box office.