Celebrity weddings are the perfect fodder for our nosy, opinionated selves. Every time a celebrity decides to tie the knot, we are glued to our phones, dissecting every little detail, from the design of their lehengas to the theme of the venue’s decor.
We quickly become like those judgmental middle-aged uncles and aunties who scrunch up their noses at anything and everything that doesn’t align with their tastes. From criticising the modern bride’s love for pastels to raising our eyebrows at the sheer extravagance of such weddings with unnecessary functions, these are events we hate and love in equal measure because they bring out the best and worst in us.
Hence, when it comes to an interfaith wedding, especially a Hindu-Muslim one, it is no surprise that the internet is outraged. How dare a young couple from two different religions decide to cross the line and marry someone outside their faith?
Since the news of their impending nuptials was leaked, social media has been abuzz with vitriolic comments against the couple. Honestly, if I could earn a penny for each time they were bashed for allegedly committing ‘love jihaad’ and destroying the cultural fabric of our society, I’d have saved up enough money for a big fat Indian wedding of my own.
Sonakshi Sinha to marry Zaheer Iqbal. When your parents have all the resources in the world, yet they don’t teach you basic Dharmic values but raise you as a secular, you easily fall into the LJ trap. Sonakshi is a classic example of that.
On Kaun Banega Crorepati, when asked… pic.twitter.com/ksY4bhvO0R
— Rakesh Krishnan Simha (@ByRakeshSimha)
When Sonakshi Sinha’s father, Shatrughan Sinha was asked about the wedding, he simply said that he would support his daughter in whatever decision she took about her wedding. The man’s statement was a loud boom of Khamosh! for his daughter’s haters.
When the to-be bride’s father has no qualms about the wedding, why is the rest of the country so riled about it? Why is a woman seen as a helpless human being who needs to be saved from a man? Why can’t we trust two consenting adults to make an important decision about their lives without bashing them for it?
They’re not the first interfaith couple either. Swara Bhaskar, Kareena Kapoor, Shruti Seth — these are all well-known actresses who married Muslim men and are living happy lives with their partners and children. There’s even a Special Marriage Act under the Constitution of India that permits interfaith marriages legally. Why the furore then?
Marriage should be about love, respect, and partnership. Instead, we’ve turned them into socio-cultural issues, provocative headlines and scintillating hashtags. Celebrities like Sonakshi aren’t obliged to devote their lives to just provide us with endless entertainment or serve as pawns in our socio-political chess games.
By indirectly saying ‘Khamosh!’ with his statements, Shatrughan Sinha is giving us a masterclass in minding our own business. He’s respecting his daughter’s autonomy, and in doing so, he’s telling us that our opinions are about as useful as the g in lasagne.
Perhaps we all ought to revisit the proverb, “Jab miyan biwi raazi, toh kya karega qaazi?”
