Erstwhile cricketer, Irfan Pathan has faced huge criticism for hiding the face of his wife, Safa. Here's a throwback interview where the loving wife had defended the accusations!
The OG 90's cricket lovers would always recall Irfan Pathan as one of their most-loved and cheered Indian cricketers on the fields. Having a promising career of more than 16 years, Irfan has been one of the legendary batsmen who has contributed to bringing in countless trophies, awards and other accolades back home. Being such an admired cricketer bathing in the limelight perennially, Irfan, on the contrary, has maintained a very low-key personal life away from the media glare.
For the unversed, the dashing sportsman found love in the Jeddah-based model, Safa Mirza Baig. The duo got married in a grand ceremony on February 4, 2016. The couple got promoted as parents with the arrival of their baby boy in the year 2018. The couple had named him Imran Khan Pathan. They also welcomed a second boy, Suleiman Khan, in 2021.
In the age of social media, the dashing cricketer, too, has found ways to entertain his fans with glimpses from his life, be it his current sports activities or his beautiful family life. Along with him, it is his cute little boy, Imran, who also has a verified social media account like his daddy, which his doting mommy, Safa, handles.
However, a section of trollers had churned out a way to disrupt this cute family and had criticised Irfan for the same. Well, it happened when a picture of the family of three had been posted from the account of their son, Imran. The three of them looked happiest as they posed together. But, unfortunately, apart from showering all their love on them, some of them began to troll Irfan for having blurred the picture of his wifey, Safa.
Well, they say that a woman can become a lioness when it comes to her family and loved ones, and Safa was no less than that. As soon as the news of such trolling and unwarranted criticism came her way, the doting wifey stood up to defend her hubby. While she may be absent from social media, she made it a point to voice her opinion. On behalf of Safa, Irfan quickly took to his Twitter handle and re-shared the post along with a replication of the message from his wifey. In his words:
“This picture is posted by my queen from my son's account. We are getting lot of hate. Let me post this here as well. She blurred this pic by her choice. And Yes, I'm her mate not her master. #herlifeherchoice."
The incident was surely blown out of proportion as it was Safa’s decision to blur her face amidst the family picture. Taking offence at such unwarranted trolling thrown towards her family, especially to her hubby, Irfan Pathan, the former model had once opened up on dealing with the whole matter. In an interview with The Times Of India soon after the incident, Safa revealed that she dislikes being the centre of attraction as she is a very private person. In her words:
“I had created an Instagram account for Imran and I post stuff there, so that he can look back at some lovely memories once he grows up. I handle this account and for this particular photograph, I had blurred my face out of choice. It was completely my decision and Irfan had absolutely nothing to do with it. I never thought that posting a harmless family photograph would create a needless controversy like this. I am a very private person and I never like to be the centre of attraction. Even when Irfan gets papped, I immediately move away."
Safa Mirza Baig had been a professional model and a content writer before her marriage to Irfan Pathan. However, she is now a happy homemaker with her cute sons and doting hubby. In an old interview a few years after her wedding, Safa had opened up and praised her hubby. Dismissing the frequently circulated rumours of him being an oppressive husband, Safa had revealed that it was utterly baseless and had cited a heartwarming anecdote from their lives.
Safa recalled an incident where an official from the passport department of Saudi Arabia questioned her hubby on her decision not to change her maiden name after her marriage. Safa mentioned how Irfan had explained to the personnel that it was her choice not to do so. Recalling Irfan’s response, Safa said:
“I told the lady at the counter that I wanted to retain my maiden name but still, she asked Irfan thrice, sir, is it fine with you if she doesn't use your surname? He told her, if she is ok with it, what problems can I have? She has the right to choose what she wants. That’s the kind of person he is and so, I feel really sad when people write such nasty things about him on social media."
Away from the limelight and hustle of trolls, Irfan Pathan and Safa Baig Mirza have created a bubble of their own filled with happiness and laughter along with their two adorable sons, Imran and Suleiman. A glimpse of the same was found in 2020 when the doting hubby penned a special romantic note to wish his wifey on her then 26th birthday. Taking to his IG handle, Irfan Pathan shared an adorable picture from their Russian vacation and wished his wifey with a note, which read as:
“You are special to me not only on your birthday but every day my darling. Wishing you a very happy birthday #safa #wifey #birthday #love #28thfeb."
What do you think about Safa Baig’s decision to keep her face hidden?
Next Read: When Smita Patil Got An Intuition On Amitabh Bachchan's Accident, Called Him A Day Before To Check