Shah Rukh Khan-Gauri Khan faced protests before tying the knot, had to keep it a secret: ‘There were some institutions who took offence’

Shah Rukh Khan initially faced opposition from Gauri Khan's family, and later some religious institutions didn't approve of him marrying a girl outside of his religion.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | Updated: June 3, 2023 02:28 PM IST

3 min read

Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan faced many difficulties at the time of their marriage. (Express Archive Photo)

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Actor Shah Rukh Khan’s real-life love story with his now-wife Gauri Khan is nothing short of a Bollywood romantic drama in itself. The actor initially faced opposition from Gauri, then from her family, and later some religious institutions didn’t approve of him marrying a girl outside of his religion.

In an earlier interview with BBC, Shah Rukh had shared that had he been in place of Gauri’s parents, even he would not have let his daughter get married to someone like him. He said, “Now I look ok, I wear a suit and my hair is combed back. But at that time, I had hair all over here (pointing towards his forehead) and I was from a different religion. I wanted to be an actor. So, with this combination, if somebody came up to me and if I had a daughter and they said, ‘See my head is like this, I am from a different religion, and I want to be a film star’, I would say, ‘Just pack your bags and get out of the house before I kick you out’. So, I think they were completely right in not wanting their daughter to marry me.”

However, Gauri’s family eventually approved of their relationship. Still, Shah Rukh and Gauri had to get married away from everyone’s eyes. It was because some people came to know about them applying for their marriage registration from the court and created a ruckus outside their house.

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A picture of Shah Rukh Khan with Gauri Khan. (Photo: Express archives)

Shah Rukh elaborated, “There was going to be a hassle in terms of if you were to marry in the court, you have to put it across for a month and when you do that, there were some institutions who took offence to me marrying a girl who is from a different religion.”

He continued, “We had protests outside of the house. Fortunately, I didn’t have a house in my name, so I had given a friend’s address. Instead of throwing stones at me, they were throwing stones at him. My friend Sanjay was calling me saying, ‘They are throwing stones at my house’. That happened. So, we had to keep it (their marriage) a little under the wrap and get it done.”

Also read | Shah Rukh Khan wanted to remarry Gauri Khan back in the 90s, watch video

Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan got married on October 25, 1991. They have been married for over 31 years now and are parents to three children, Aryan, Suhana and AbRam Khan.

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