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When Sonakshi Sinha got married to Zaheer Iqbal on June 23, 2024, eyebrows were raised as her brothers, Luv and Kush Sinha, did not attend.
Her parents, Shatrughan and Poonam Sinha and Poonam, were there though, with her proud daddy promising his unwavering support.
Sonakshi's intercaste marriage elicited all kinds of reactions, including rumours that the actor had changed her religion.
In an interview with Hauterrfly recently, Sonakshi clears the air.
Sonakshi says religion has never been issue for her or her longtime boyfriend, Zaheer.
'Zaheer and I weren't really paying attention to religion. We were two people who loved each other and wanted to get married to each other. He is not enforcing his religion on me and I am not enforcing my religion on him. This wasn't even a discussion,' Sonakshi said in the interview.
'We appreciate and understand each other's cultures. They follow certain traditions at their house; I follow certain traditions at my house. He participates in my Diwali puja and I participate in his niyaaz (food offering given to devotees after prayer). I respect them (her husband and his family) and their culture and they respect me and my culture.
'Under the circumstances, the best way to get married was the Special Marriage Act, where I, as a Hindu woman, do not need to change my religion, and he, as a Muslim man, can remain a Muslim man. And two people share a beautiful bond of marriage. It's as simple as that.
'I was never asked, 'Are you going to convert?' We love each other and we're getting married,' she adds.
