Love knows no boundaries. We often walk extra miles in love and are ready to do things that we wouldn’t do otherwise. Mostly, in love marriages, people accept one another for who they are! They accept each other’s flaws, beliefs, religion and lifestyle. Religion is a sensitive topic and it is generally hard to change one’s belief system. However, there are several women who change their religion in order to marry the love of their life. Here’s a list of female Indian celebrities who converted to Islam to get married.
1. Sharmila Tagore
Sharmila Tagore is one of the most popular Bollywood actresses. She was born to a Bengali father and an Assamese mother. She made her debut in 1964 with the film Kashmir Ki Kali. She was at the peak of her career in the late 60s and 70s. We saw her in Namkeen, Waqt, Daag, Chupke Chupke and Amar Prem.
Sharmila Tagore converted to Islam to marry Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, the former captain of the Indian cricket team and the titular Nawab of Pataudi Khandaan. Sharmila also changed her name to Begum Ayesha Sultana.
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2. Amrita Singh
Amrita Singh was born to an army officer Shivinder Singh Virk. Her mother Rukhsana Sultana was a political associate of Sanjay Gandhi during the Indian Emergency in the 1970s. Amrita made her Bollywood debut in 1983 with Hindi film Betaab. She went on to deliver many hit Hindi films like Mard, Saaheb, Chameli Ki Shaadi, Khudgarz and Waris.
Amrita fell in love with Saif Ali Khan, son of Mansoor Ali Khan and Sharmila Tagore. The couple also grabbed the limelight as Amrita is 12 years elder than Saif. Amrita converted to Islam before marriage and the couple had an Islamic wedding in 1991.
3. Hema Malini
Hema Malini was born in a Tamil Iyenger Brahmin family. She got her first lead role in Sapno Ka Saudagar (1968). She was frequently offered films with Dharmendra and the duo fell in love while working together repeatedly. Dharmendra was already married to Prakash Kaur and had two sons and two daughters. Dharmendra wanted to divorce his first wife in order to marry Hema but Prakash Kaur refused to part ways. Hema Malini and Dharmendra then converted to Islam so that their wedding could be called legal.
4. Ayesha Takia
Bollywood actress Ayesha Takia was born to Nishit Takia, a Gujarati Hindu, and Faridah Takia was Muslim, a Maharashtrian and half- Caucasian British. She started her career as a model and in 2004 she made her big Bollywood debut with Taarzan: The Wonder Car. Later, she worked in films like Salaam-E-Ishq, Wanted, Paathshaala, No Smoking, Sunday etc.
In 2009, Ayesha married her boyfriend Farhan Azmi at the age of 23. She also converted to Islam and changed her name to Ayesha Takia Azmi on social media. Ayesha also left films after marriage in order to focus on her family.
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5. Dipika Kakar
Dipika Kakar is a television actress best known for her role in Sasural Simar Ka. She also participated in reality show Bigg Boss 12 and emerged as a winner. Dipika married Raunak Samson in 2011. However, they got separated in 2015. in 2018, she married her Sasural Simar Ka co–star Shoaib Ibrahim. She converted to Islam and changed her name to Faiza. Dipika now lives according to Islamic culture and her social media profile and YouTube vlogs are proof.
6. Rakhi Sawant
Television entertainer, Bollywood dancer and Bigg Boss participant Rakhi Sawant comes from a Marathi family. In 2019, Rakhi Sawant announced her marriage with NRI businessman, Ritesh. However, they parted ways in early 2022 as Rakhi found out that he was already married which is why her marriage with Ritesh doesn’t stand legal.
In June 2022, Rakhi Sawant married again. She tied the knot with her new boyfriend Adil Khan Durrani according to Islamic customs. Rakhi also changed her to Fatima and also observed Roza this year. However, she accused Adil of harassment and fraud. She filed an FIR against him and sent him to jail.
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