Piyush Mishra says he was sexually abused by a female relative

Noted actor Piyush Mishra recently revealed he was sexually assaulted by a female relative when he was in seventh grade. The Tamasha actor opened up about the incident in his recently released autobiographical novel 'Tumhari Auqaat Kya Hai Piyush Mishra'. Mishra says he has changed only the names and kept the truth intact in his book, published by Rajkamal Prakashan, as "revenge" was not his purpose.

"It left me shocked, I was surprised at what had happened," Mr Mishra told PTI while reflecting on the incident that had happened when he was studying in the 7th standard. "Sex is such a healthy thing that your first encounter with it should be good, otherwise it scars you for life, it disturbs you for life. That sexual assault gave me complex throughout my life and it took me a long time and several partners to come out of it," the multi-hyphnate personality said.The book that traces his journey from narrow alleys of Gwalior to Delhi's cultural centre of Mandi House and eventually to Mumbai.

"I wanted to hide the identity of some people. Some of them are women, and some men who are now well established in the film industry. I did not want to take revenge against anybody, or to hurt anyone." In the book, the noted actor, singer, and composer narrates his life through the autobiographical character of Santap Trivedi, or Hamlet, as he was known in his alma mater, the National School of Drama (NSD).Hailing from a middle class family in Gwalior, Piyush Mishra showed promise as a multidimensional artiste from his childhood by quickly taking to vocal and instrumental music, paintings, sculptures, poetry and eventually theatre. According to the book, even as his father pressured him to pursue a career in medical science, Mr Mishra dropped out and decided to join NSD at the age of 20. It would start a lifelong romance with theatre and acting.