Emmerdale fans are no strangers to shock twists and family secrets, just look at all the recent drama with Caleb and Nicky. However, one long-buried piece of information knocked them for six this week, as Jai Sharma discovered that his dad, Rishi, wasn’t his father at all. And some viewers reckon that there are more shocks to come.
The revelation came in Monday’s episode when Jai went looking for some paperwork. The businessman was on cloud nine, having just got engaged to girlfriend Laurel and booked a sunshine holiday for the whole family.
But at Rishi’s house, while Jai searched for the document he needed, he stumbled across the family secret. He was aghast at what he discovered, and in Tuesday’s episode tried to make sense of it all when he confronted Rishi.
The dramatic scenes saw an angry Jai demand to know the truth about his history, confused and upset that Rishi has kept this from him. A shocked Rishi reeled when he realised that Jai knew the secret, and refused to explain things to his angry son, leaving Jai even more furious.
Later, Rishi confirmed to Jai that while his mum, Georgia, did give birth to him, his dad was a one-night stand that she once had. Rishi then married Georgia to save her the shame of being a single mum, adopting Jai when he was born.
Rishi is one of the show’s most popular characters, and the father and son bond between him and Jai has overcome many obstacles over the years, so viewers were upset to see this news drive a wedge between the pair as Jai stormed out.
But many fear there is another secret which Rishi isn’t telling – one which he’s been desperate to keep from his son all his life for fear of hurting him further.
“I wonder if Jai is the product of an assault the way Rishi is being, he clearly doesn’t want to say something,” said one. While another agreed: “There has to be some god-awful reason why Rishi has never told Jai.”
@emmerdale I wonder if Jai is the product of an assault the way Rishi is being he clearly doesn’t want to say something but there’s clearly something he’s not being totally honest about.June 27, 2023
There has to be some god awful reason why Rishi has never told Jay.Like r@pe or something equally as awful#EmmerdaleJune 27, 2023
Is it possibly going to come out that his mum was attacked and he was the result and Rishi saved her from the shame that would have resulted in those days?June 27, 2023
The story looks set to run, with spoilers revealing things are going to continue to be frosty between the pair next week. It seems it’s going to take a long time for this rift to heal, and the revelation of some new dark secret may only make things ever more agonising for both parties…
Emmerdale airs Monday to Friday at 7.30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, usually with an extended hour- long episode on a Thursday.
Check out our TV Guide for more details.
