Manoj Bajpayee on his interfaith marriage with Shabana, ‘She’s proud Muslim’

Mumbai: Known for his unique dialogue delivery, actor Manoj Bajpayee is married to a muslim woman Shabana Raza. The actor who has portrayed very strong and muscular roles in various films is strong enough in real life too. When he married Shabana Raza, he did not face any opposition from his family.

Talking about his marriage with a Muslim woman, Manoj said that his wife is a ‘proud Muslim’, just as he is a ‘proud Hindu’. In an interview with popular journalist Barkha Dutt, he said, “My marriage with Shabana, more than religion, is about the values that we share. And those values we don’t talk about. These are unsaid. Tomorrow, if one of us changes our values, our marriage wouldn’t last.”

When Barkha Dutt asked Manoj if there was any chatter about his marriage with a Muslim woman among family members, he said, “Had there been any, it was not conveyed to me, and it was not made obvious. I come from a Brahmin family, a feudal family. Her family had a lot of reputation and prestige to their name. But surprisingly, none of my family members ever objected to it. Never, till now. And if there’s any conversation that is happening with my wife, which has to do with religion…”

He further added, “She’s spiritual, very, very spiritual. She’s a proud Muslim, and I’m a proud Hindu, but it doesn’t clash with each other.”

Manoj told Barkha Dutt that people around him know that they mustn’t make any anti-religion statements as he could not tolerate them. “Even if they would’ve talked about the religion of my wife, they could never have the strength or the courage to speak to me on my face. Because they know that I don’t mince my words, I’m very hard, when it comes to anyone talking like that. I come very, very hard. I’m a tough guy then… Doston ke beech bhi agar aisi galat baat karte hain, jo karni nahi chahiye, I don’t take it nicely… People still talk about my temper,” he said.