When Sharmila Tagore spoke about her inter-faith wedding to Tiger Pataudi, changing her religion: ‘Couldn’t be flippant about it’

Sharmila Tagore opened up about changing her religion to marry Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi. She said Tiger suggested her new name, Ayesha.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | Updated: August 27, 2024 05:25 PM IST

2 min read

Sharmila Tagore opened up about her marriage with Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and embracing Islam.

Sharmila Tagore opened up about her inter-faith marriage with Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi.

Sharmila Tagore and Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi dated each other for a few years before they tied the knot and in those years, an inter-faith marriage was unheard of. So, Sharmila changed her religion and embraced Islam. In an earlier interview, Sharmila spoke about changing her religion and getting a new name, Ayesha, and said that she wasn’t very religious before converting but afterwards, she learnt a lot about Hinduism and Islam.

Talking to Simi Garewal in an old interview, Sharmila was asked about changing her religion, and she said, “It wasn’t easy nor was it very difficult. It had to be faced and understood. You couldn’t be very flippant about it. Before that, I wasn’t terribly religious. Now, I think I know more about Hinduism and Islam.” When asked about her name Ayesha, Mansoor said that he suggested the name.

Sharmila also spoke about her mother-in-law Nawab Begum of Bhopal, Sajida Sultan, and said that they shared a respectful relationship with each other. Recalling her first meeting with her mother-in-law, Sharmila said, “The first time I met Amma, I was, of course, very nervous. She asked what do you think about my son? I said I like him and she said then what do you intend to do? And I said I don’t know yet I just met him, I am very fond of him and at this point you have known him for longer.” Sharmila said that over the years they shared a “very healthy mutual respect for each other.”

ALSO READ | IC 814 The Kandahar Hijack: Anubhav Sinha reveals hijacker apologised to the pilot and hugged him, said ‘Main aapke kaam aa sakoon toh…’

Sharmila, in an earlier chat with Barkha Dutt on Mojo Story, recalled the death threats they received when they decided to get married. “In Kolkata, when I was getting married, my parents were getting telegrams saying that bullets shall speak. And Tiger’s family was also getting… they were getting a little worried.” Sharmila shared that the wedding and the reception was managed and “nothing untoward happened.”

Sharmila Tagore and Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi were married for over 43 years until his death in 2011.

From the homepage