Here is a list of a few Indian actresses who converted to Islam for the sake of love and got married to their soulmates.
Love knows no boundaries, and one can go to any length to prove the same. We have often seen couples embracing each other’s religious beliefs to culminate in their marriage. And the glamour world is not far behind as many actresses over the years got converted to marry the love of their life. Here is a list of actresses who converted to Islam to get married.
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Hema Malini was born in a Tamil-speaking Iyengar Brahmin family. Hailed as the 'Dream Girl' of Bollywood, Hema Malini made her acting debut in a Tamil film and later starred in Sapno Ka Saudagar in 1968. It was on the sets of the film, Tum Haseen Main Jawaan in 1970 when love blossomed between Hema Malini and Dharmendra.
But Dharmendra was already married to Prakash Kaur, and the duo had four children, Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Vijeta Deol and Ajeeta Deol. Dharmendra and Hema were head-over-heels in love with each other, but Prakash was not ready to divorce Dharam. As per the Hindu marriage act, a Hindu man is not allowed to keep two wives. In order to tie the knot, Dharam and Hema converted to Islam. In 1979, they embraced Islam and Dharmendra changed his name to Dilawar Khan, while Hema changed her name to Aisha Bi R Chakravarty. The duo embraced parenthood soon and welcomed two girls, Esha Deol and Ahana Deol.
Veteran actress, Sharmila Tagore was born into the prominent Tagore family and made her acting debut with Satyajit Ray’ acclaimed Bengali drama, The World of Apu at the mere age of 14. She captivated millions of hearts with her charming smile and doe-shaped eyes. Sharmila Tagore met the then-Indian cricket team captain, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, through a common friend. While Sharmila was a self-confessed cricket fan, Mansoor had no clue about Bollywood. Although they were attracted to each other, but the Bengali beauty took four years to say ‘yes’ to Mansoor.
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In Mansoor and Sharmila’s case, religion was also a major hurdle as she belonged to a Bengali family and he was a Muslim. But to marry the Nawab, Sharmila converted to Islam and became Ayesha Sultana. Bets were placed that their marriage would not last, but the duo defied all the odds and tied the knot in 1969. Mansoor and Sharmila are blessed with three children, Saif Ali Khan, Saba Ali Khan and Soha Ali Khan.
One of the most successful actresses of the 80s and 90s, Amrita Singh did some tremendous performances in movies like Mard, Chameli Ki Shaadi, Khudgarz, Aaina, Betaab and many more. Amrita was already a successful star when she met the Nawab of Pataudi, Saif Ali Khan, who was struggling to find a foothold in the industry.
Saif and Amrita had an age gap of 12 years, but the two were head-over-heels in love with one another. However, despite all the odds, both Saif and Amrita had decided that they could not live without each other. Amrita, who was raised as a Sikh had converted to Islam before marriage and had an Islamic wedding, which was an intimate affair. The couple welcomed two kids, Sara Ali Khan and Ibrahim Ali Khan. After 13 years of marriage, Saif and Amrita got divorced, and the actor went on to get married to Kareena Kapoor.
Actress, Ayesha Takia was raised in a mixed cultural environment as her father is a Gujarati Hindu, while her mother is of Anglo-Indian descent. Before her Bollywood debut, Ayesha Takia began her career as a model and was seen in many TV commercials and music videos. The actress was seen in films like Taarzan: The Wonder Car, Salaam-e-Ishq, Wanted, No Smoking etc.
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Ayesha was merely 23 when she got married to her boyfriend, Farhan Azmi, son of Samajwadi Party leader, Abu Azmi in 2009. To get married to Farhan, Ayesha converted to Islam and added Azmi to her name. She and Farhan are proud parents to a baby boy. After her marriage, Ayesha left films in order to take care of her family.
Dipika Kakar is one of the most renowned actresses in the telly world. The actress, who rose to fame with her show, Sasural Simar Ka got married to Raunak Samson in 2011, but soon they got divorced in 2015. Dipika then fell in love with her Sasural Simar Ka co-star, Shoaib Ibrahim and the two had a nikah in 2018.
To get married to Shoaib, Dipika converted to Islam and even changed her name to Faiza. Dipika is a practising Muslim now, who keeps roza and does namaz. Shoaib and Dipika embraced parenthood in 2023 and welcomed a baby boy, whom they have named Ruhaan.
Controversial queen of the glamour world, Rakhi Sawant began her career as a dancer. Hailing from a Marathi family, Rakhi has often garnered the spotlight for her unfiltered comments and controversial remarks. In 2019, Rakhi Sawant announced her marriage to Ritesh, an NRI. However, the two parted ways in 2022. She gave love and marriage another chance when she met a Mysore-based businessman, Adil Khan Durrani. To get married to Adil, Rakhi converted to Islam and changed her name to Fatima. In the same year, Rakhi accused Adil of domestic violence and fraud and filed an FIR against him.
All these celebrities proved that they could do anything for the sake of love. Which actress’ conversion to Islam surprised you? Let us know.
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