In a touching commentary on the value system of families and individual freedom, actor Zayed Khan has spoken candidly about the decision to cremate his mother Zarine Khan according to Hindu traditions. This decision came in the wake of her passing away in the latter part of 2025 at the age of 81. This decision has been the subject of much online debate owing to Zarine Khan’s faith and her marriage to veteran actor Sanjay Khan.
While responding to the debate surrounding the decision to cremate Zarine Khan, Zayed Khan has spoken about the decision not being about faith but about honouring the wish of the deceased. He has spoken about how his mother, touched by the beauty of the river, had expressed her desire to be cremated and her ashes released into the river so that she could “be free.”
Zayed talked about his upbringing in an environment where insaaniyat, humanity, was supreme in their household. He went on to say that they believed in a secular philosophy, which was reinforced by his sister, Farah Ali Khan, who talked about their mother as the “glue” of the family. She said that by being born Parsi, marrying a Muslim, and getting cremated through Hindu rituals, Zarine truly epitomised the universal human spirit.
The actor talked about how some people have reacted hatefully to the news, but believes that the current times are a "cycle of tough times" which would eventually produce stronger, mature individuals. By deciding to "forgive and forget," which was their mother’s mantra for life, the Khan family is still united in their efforts to scatter their mother’s ashes in the river she loved, showing that for them, love knows no religion.
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