Veteran actor Om Puri and wife Nandita have opted for judicial separation after 26 years of marriage.

Puri and Nandita have decided to live separately without going for a divorce with the actor getting visiting rights to son Ishaan, 18, after things turned ugly between them following her biography of the actor.

"The court order came last week. It was a clash of our sensibilities. This happens with people so there is nothing unusual in it. Nandita and I are supposed to talk only regarding Ishaan's education and welfare," Puri told PTI over phone from Mumbai.

His lawyer Jalaja Nambiar said the couple will have separate lives without divorce. "Mr Puri wanted divorce but because things started going here and there, he opted for an amicable settlement and the court granted them judicial separation under which they are a married couple legally but have their separate lives and cannot interfere in each other's matter," she said.

Nandita, who had earlier filed a domestic violence case against the actor, seemed more positive. "There were no terms. Everything happened peacefully.

We are living separately till we get back. We have withdrawn all the cases against each other," she told PTI.

When asked whether she was hopeful about getting back, she said, "I don't know."

Nandita and Puri's differences came out in open with the release of his biography "Unlikely Hero: The Story of Om Puri" that his wife wrote.

Puri felt Nandita exposed his past relationships in the book in a disrespectful manner.