Soha Ali Khan breaks down Sharmila Tagore and Tiger Pataudi’s interfaith love story

Sharmila Tagore made some choices back in the day that society may have deemed scandalous. She dared to venture into the world of cinema — something considered disreputable by many, and even posed in a bikini in the 1960s! But most importantly, she dared to marry outside her religion.

Soha Ali Khan speaks up about Sharmila Tagore's marriage; says she had to convert to Islam

Although Sharmila lived her life on her own terms, as actor Soha Ali Khan confirmed, she wasn’t entirely free from rules. In fact, before marrying Mansur, Sharmila had to convert to Islam and her name was chosen as Ayesha by Mansur.

“But because she has always been Sharmila Tagore in her whole professional career, people still know her as Sharmila Tagore. But she is also Ayesha," Soha said recently.

Their marriage was neither "easy not was it difficult," Sharmila and Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi said on a talk show.

“It had to be faced and understood. You couldn’t be very flippant about it. Before that, I wasn’t terribly religious. Now, I think I know more about Hinduism and Islam,” she had said.

However, unlike their own families, many were opposed to their marriage. Although nothing happened on their wedding, it was a scary time for them.

“In Kolkata, when I was getting married, my parents were getting telegrams saying that bullets shall speak. And Tiger’s family was also getting… they were getting a little worried," Sharmila had said in an interview. Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi died in 2011. 

Mansur also championed the stay-at-home dad and homemaker concept long before it was acceptable. Soha Ali said that it was normal for her to grow up seeing her dad at home, while her mom was away at work.

“It was very normal for us, because how can you compare your childhood to anyone else’s. Of course, my father was a professional athlete. He worked a lot, he captained India for close to 10 years, and then he retired. I was born after that. For me, he was always a stay-at-home dad. He was also the editor of the Sportsman magazine. Also, he was from a royal family, so he didn’t really have a job or an income," she said.

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