Manoj Bajpayee says nobody questioned his inter-faith marriage with wife Shabana: ‘I am a proud Hindu, she is a proud Muslim’

Asked if there was any chatter about their inter-faith relationship among family members, Manoj 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 said that his wife isn’t particularly religious. “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,” he added. The actor said in no uncertain terms that he will not tolerate any anti-religion comments, and people around him know that they mustn’t make such statements around him, because he will shut them down. “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.

#InsideOutWithBarkhaDutt Episode 6 ft @BajpayeeManoj Premieres tonight at 8.30pm.

Watch full Episode here: https://t.co/Etetyqq4Se@BDUTT pic.twitter.com/ISjpSvWFA3

— Mojo Story (@themojostory) April 4, 2023

The actor also recalled when his daughter his daughter was in the 3rd or 4th standard, she asked her mother what religion she belongs to, because the topic was being discussed at school. When Manoj asked what religion she would like to follow, she said, “Buddhism,” perhaps because she was fascinated with Buddhist monks at the time. Manoj said, “Telling a child what religion they belong to, at that age, is not right. Let them find their own self, let them find religion themselves. Don’t try to push them into a corner, don’t try to limit their thinking.”

Manoj met Shabana in the 90s, and they tied the knot in 2006.