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Manoj Bajpayee opens up about interfaith marriage, says ‘inclusive’ father’s funeral had more Muslim attendees than Hindus

Manoj Bajpayee said that his daughter, Ava, has started asking questions about her religious identity, and that she has been told to choose her own path.

Manoj Bajpayee with his wife and daughter.

Actor Manoj Bajpayee said that he faced no family pressure when he got married to Shabana Raza, who follows a different faith. He said that his father was a broad-minded man, who didn’t oppose their relationship. The actor also spoke about raising his daughter to make her own decisions in life, as far as religion is concerned. He said that both he and Shabana respect each other’s faiths, and that this is a non-issue in their household.

In an interview with Barkha Dutt on Mojo Story, the actor was asked about his interfaith marriage, and he said, “It’s been easy. I’m always very surprised… It’s the people who matter the most; it’s people who refuse to be impacted and affected by this.” Asked what it was like when he told his family and community that he’s marrying a Muslim, he said, “Nothing happened.”

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He explained, “My father was very, very inclusive. Very gentle, very polite. He had many Muslim friends. He was a huge supporter of the party which is in government today. But you’ll be surprised, the number of Muslim people who attended his funeral were far, far more than the people who belonged to his religion. That was what my upbringing was like.”

Asked how he handles the issue of religious identity at home, Manoj said, “We don’t need to handle it. There is no fight, there is no struggle. All of us have our own space to practice our faith. Now, even the little one is made to realise it by her peers. The peers are getting this idea from their parents. Ava’s religion is the conversation in their household, and that conversation reaches us, and Ava asks her mother, ‘What is my religion?’ And she’s told, ‘You choose yours’.”

Manoj appeared to get agitated with the questions, and said that this is a non-issue in their household. He said that he does pooja every day at the temple, while his wife practices her faith as well. “Ava, sometimes she does pranam, sometimes she doesn’t. We don’t even question these things,” he said.

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