Sonakshi Sinha recently opened up about her interfaith marriage with Zaheer Iqbal, emphasizing that religion was never a factor in their relationship. The couple, who tied the knot in a civil ceremony on June 23, 2024, had been dating for seven years before making their union official. Their wedding, held at Sonakshi’s Mumbai apartment, was followed by a grand reception attended by Bollywood’s biggest names, including Salman Khan, Kajol, Rekha, Vidya Balan, and Siddharth Roy Kapur. Rapper Honey Singh also performed at the star-studded celebration.
During a recent interview with Hauterrfly, Sonakshi was asked about her understanding of ‘The Special Marriage Act’ as a woman and how laws impact women differently. She also shared how she and Zaheer navigated their wedding decisions, particularly regarding religious traditions. In response, she stated, “Zaheer and I weren’t even looking at religion. Here are two people in love with each other who want to get married, and we are getting married now. What is the best way to do that? He is not enforcing his religion on me, and I’m not enforcing my religion on him.”
When asked if the topic of religion had ever come up in their relationship, Sonakshi revealed, “The topic never even came up. It never happened.” She further explained, “We don’t sit and talk about it. We appreciate each other’s cultures. They follow certain traditions at their house; I follow certain traditions at my house. He comes and sits in my Diwali puja. I go and sit in their niyaaz, and that’s all that matters, right?”
Highlighting the importance of mutual respect in their marriage, she added, “I respect them and their culture, and they respect me and mine. That’s how it should be. Under the best circumstances, what was the best way to get married was a special marriage act where I, as a Hindu woman, do not need to change my religion and he, as a Muslim man, can remain a Muslim man, and two people in love share a beautiful bond of marriage. So it was as simple as that. There was never a question asked like, ‘Are you going to convert?’ We love each other; we are getting married.”
The couple’s decision to marry under The Special Marriage Act reflects their commitment to preserving their individual identities while embracing their shared love and companionship.
