‘Ali Fazal’s family prepares separate dishes for Jains during Eid’: Richa Chadha opens up about her ‘exciting’ inter-faith marriage with the actor

As they revel in all the joy and love, Richa opened up about being in an interfaith marriage with Ali, which she described as an “exciting” experience. Taking part in the eighth edition of The Indian Express’ Expresso, she said, “I love being in an interfaith marriage, and it’s exciting. I get to learn so many new things. Also, my dad is Punjabi and my mom is Bihari. So that in itself was a unique combination when they got married in the ’80s. Between Ali and me, even though we are very secular, progressive and spiritual people, we do things with the other person’s religion because it’s just amazing.”

Richa further mentioned that she loves visiting Ali’s ancestral home in Lucknow during Eid, noting that people from all faiths come together there to mark the occasion and celebrate the festival. “Not just Muslims, everyone comes there on Eid to eat biryani or yakhni pulao. They also prepare a separate set of dishes for the Jains who live across the road. It’s wonderful to see them sitting around, and Ali’s 90-year-old grandmother will make paan. The whole mahaul is so joyous,” she shared.

She shared that Ali also embraced all the Hindu festivals like Diwali and Bhai Dooj that her family celebrates. “He was so happy. Recently, he came dancing to a big fat Punjabi wedding, and he was just showered and smothered in love,” she shared.

Watch Richa Chadha and Kabir Khan at Expresso here:

Going a step further, Richa also spoke about what she believes to be the biological benefits of promoting marriages outside one’s own community. “I think we must take a cue from nature. In nature, the main cause of congenital diseases is inbreeding. What does that mean? That means that nature wants you to share and spread. That’s how you evolve and grow.”

The eighth edition of Expresso was presented by HSBC in association with Taj Lands End, Mumbai, Seetu Kohli Homes as the Luxury Partner, Chambers of Kartik Seth as the Knowledge Partner, and Radico as the Celebration Partner.