Actress Swara Bhasker recently announced her marriage to political activist and leader of the Samajwadi Party Fahad Ahmad. Since then, a portion of Janta has been criticising Swara on social media. Reason? Because she discovered love outside of her “faith.” The Special Marriage Act of 1954 is where the Veere Di Wedding actress registered her interfaith union. According to a scholar, their marriage is “legal but unIslamic,” despite some trolls referring to it as “love jihad.”
Now, let’s diverge from their unasked-for thoughts and have a look at 8 famous people who were married to people of different faiths before her.
1. Shah Rukh Khan married Gauri Chhibber
Shah Rukh Khan, a Punjabi Hindu who was born into a Muslim household, wed Gauri Chhibber in a customary wedding in 1991. During their reception, SRK made fun of the guests who were raising questions about their interfaith union. In an interview, the famous person recalled, “Gauri chalo burka pehno, namaaz padte hain, chalo uthke chalo sabke sab ab.”
2. Kareena Kapoor married Saif Ali Khan
Kareena Kapoor, the actress, got married to Saif Ali Khan, also an actor, in 2012. Despite their different religions, Kareena chose not to convert to Islam. Saif had shared in an interview before their marriage that he didn’t want Kareena to change her religion because he believed that religion shouldn’t expect conversion. He didn’t agree with this practice and didn’t want it to be a requirement for their marriage.
3. Riteish Deshmukh married Genelia D’Souza
In 2012, actor Riteish Deshmukh and actress Genelia D’Souza got married. Genelia is a Mangalorean Catholic, as opposed to Riteish, the late CM Vilasrao Deshmukh’s son, who comes from a Maharashtrian Hindu family. Both a Maharashtrian and a Christian wedding ceremony were held for the pair.
4. Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi married Sharmila Tagore
Legendary cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, well known as Tiger Pataudi, was born into a regal Nawab family and wed famous actress Sharmila Tagore in 1969. Sharmila, who comes from a well-known Tagore family and later purportedly converted to Islam, previously discussed their interfaith union. We were residents of Bombay, thus we were unaware of the Hindu-Muslim issue. One morning, I recall waking up to see two men in my living room. They were dispatched to guard me by Delhi. The Aradhana actress told TOI, “I told them I don’t need any protection, but they thought otherwise.
5. Naseeruddin Shah married Ratna Pathak
Naseeruddin Shah, a veteran actor who comes from a Nawab family, and Ratna Pathak, daughter of the late actress Dina Pathak, who is a Gujarati Hindu, got married in 1982. In an interview with Karwan-e-Mohabbat India, Naseeruddin Shah spoke about their inter-faith marriage. He shared that he always believed that their religious differences would eventually become less significant. He also believed that their marriage could set a positive example for others. Naseeruddin Shah didn’t see anything wrong with their marriage despite their different religions.
6. Sunil Dutt Married Nargis
Sunil Dutt and Nargis are another renowned actor duo we have on the list. In 1958, Sunil Dutt wed Nargis, the co-star of his film Mother India. While Nargis was born as Fatima Rashid in a Punjabi Muslim family in Calcutta, Sunil Dutt was born into a Mohyal Brahmin family in Punjab Province (now in Pakistan). Nargis is said to have changed her religion to Hinduism.
7. Farah Khan married Shirish Kunder
Farah Khan, a choreographer-director, married film editor Shirish Kunder in 2004. Farah comes from a Muslim family in Mumbai, while Shirish is a Hindu from Mangalore. Once, when a troll questioned the religion of their children, Shirish shut them down. He tweeted, “Depends on which festival is next. Last month, they were Christians,” indicating that their family celebrates different festivals and that their kids are exposed to different religions. Shirish’s response suggested that their family values inclusivity and diversity and that their children are not confined to one specific religion.
8. Suniel Shetty Married Mana Qadri
Suniel Shetty, the actor, got married to Mana Qadri in 1991 after dating for nine years. Suniel comes from a Bunt family in Mangalore, while Mana is a Muslim. In an interview, he shared that their parents were initially against their marriage. However, they decided to propose to each other and make their relationship official. Suniel explained that they were serious about each other, and that is why they mentally prepared themselves to go against their parent’s wishes. The Hera Pheri actor told ETimes that they didn’t care about the religious differences and were focused on their love for each other.
