Sharmila Tagore lived with Tiger Pataudi before wedding, faced ‘bullets shall speak’ threats

“We lived together before getting married because it was more convenient. Tiger would often go to the Cricket Club of India to shower because I was a terrible housekeeper. Nothing worked properly at home.”

The actor laughed as she admitted that homemaking wasn’t her strongest skill in those days.

“I was a terrible housekeeper. I’ve learnt over the years. Now I’m very house-proud.”

Sharmila and Tiger married in 1968 after dating for several years. Their love story famously began after Tiger played a prank on her by pretending to send her five imported air conditioners from London before asking her out for coffee. Recalling the story on Kaun Banega Crorepati, Sharmila had said that once they started meeting, “we never stopped.”

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‘Bullets shall speak’: The death threats before their wedding

The couple’s interfaith marriage was considered unconventional at the time and attracted intense public scrutiny. While Sharmila says she and Tiger remained largely unaffected because of their busy careers, their families bore the brunt of the pressure.

(Photo: Instagram/Saba Pataudi)

“We didn’t really feel it because I was working and Tiger was playing cricket. But my parents and Tiger’s mother felt the pressure because there was so much being said. The media wasn’t giving our marriage more than 15 months. They predicted it would be a disaster.”

She also revealed that filmmaker Yash Chopra had warned her about marrying into royalty.

“Yash Chopra told me, ‘These Nawabs are very doubtful people, so you have to be very careful.’ He was a good friend and genuinely concerned.”

The strongest opposition came in the form of death threats.

“My parents received telegrams saying, ‘Bullets shall speak.’ They decided to organise the wedding at Fort William because they thought it would be the safest place. There was some issue with the guest list and permission was withdrawn. We had to quickly shift the wedding to an ambassador’s residence.”

Sharmila has spoken about those threats before as well. During an earlier conversation with Twinkle Khanna for Tweak India, she recalled how her parents received telegrams warning that “bullets shall speak” because she was marrying a Muslim man. Despite the threats and opposition, the wedding went ahead without any untoward incident.

‘Tiger taught me patience without ever scolding me’

Asked about her marriage, Sharmila said some of life’s biggest lessons came simply from observing her husband.

“I was quite temperamental in those days, but I learnt a lot from Tiger. He was an extremely kind person.He would always say, ‘With dogs, with staff and with children, you must never raise your voice.'”

She added that Tiger never tried to change her by lecturing or scolding.

“He never really scolded me or put me down. Just by being there, he taught me patience and understanding.”

The veteran actor also shared the advice from Tiger that became the foundation of their relationship.

“Words can be very vicious. Once spoken, you can’t take them back. You can be angry, you can disagree, but you shouldn’t say things that hurt each other because those words stay forever.”

Sharmila had earlier spoken about why she knew Tiger was the man she wanted to marry, saying his sense of humour drew her to him and that she instinctively knew “this man won’t hurt me on purpose.”

(Photo: Express Archive)

He didn’t watch Sharmila’s films

Despite being married to one of Indian cinema’s biggest stars, Tiger wasn’t particularly interested in watching Sharmila’s movies.

“He didn’t watch my films. He watched Meena Kumari’s and Vyjayanthimala’s films.”

Sharmila admitted it did pinch a little. “It may have pinched a little, but what’s the point if he didn’t enjoy them?”

The cricket lesson that became part of their marriage

Although she describes herself as a cricket fan, Sharmila admitted she initially knew very little about the sport.

Recalling one embarrassing moment, she said she incorrectly referred to a shot while speaking to legendary England captain Peter May.

“I mentioned a ‘leg cut’, but it was actually a late cut or something. Tiger quietly kicked me under the table and said, ‘You won’t speak about cricket. We’ll put it in our nikahnama.'”

She added that she eventually learnt a little more about the game.

Sharmila and Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi remained married for 43 years until his death in 2011. Together, they raised three children—actor Saif Ali Khan, jewellery designer Saba Ali Khan and actor Soha Ali Khan. Over the years, the couple’s relationship, once dismissed by many as unlikely to survive because of their interfaith marriage, came to be regarded as one of the most enduring love stories in Indian cinema and cricket.