Manoj Bajpayee recently talked about his inter-religion marriage in an interview. He married actress Shabana Raza in 2006. Shabana made her acting debut with the film ‘Kareeb’ in 1998 and was credited as Neha in the movie. It was after this film that she met Manoj Bajpayee, whose film Satya had also released around the same time. Manoj Bajpayee said in his latest interview that his marriage to Shabana is more important than religion.
In an interview with Barkha Dutt on Mojo Story, Manoj Bajpayee said, “My marriage to Shabana is more about values we both share rather than religion. Those are the unsaid things we don’t talk about. They are unspoken values. If tomorrow our values change, our marriage won’t survive.” Bajpayee had married actress Shabana Raza in 2006.
Manoj was asked if his family had any issue with him marrying a Muslim woman. In response, Manoj said, “If there was any objection, it never reached me. Or it was never expressed. I come from a Brahmin family. Her (Shabana’s) family was also very respected. But it’s surprising that my family never opposed this marriage. Not until today.”
Manoj also mentioned that his wife Shabana is not very religious, but she is inclined towards spirituality. While talking about it, Manoj said, “She is spiritual, very spiritual. She takes pride in being a Muslim. I take pride in being a Hindu. But these two things don’t clash with each other.”
However, Manoj says that he does not approve of comments made against any religion. People around him know this. Manoj says, “Even if they talk about my wife’s religion, they would never have the courage to say it in front of me. They know I won’t hesitate to respond. I am very strict about such things. I also hold my friends accountable if they say anything wrong that shouldn’t be said. That’s why people still talk about my anger.”
Manoj and Shabana have a daughter who goes to school. When their daughter was in the third or fourth grade, she asked about her mother’s religion because such topics were being discussed in school. Manoj asked his daughter which religion she would like to follow, and she replied that she would like to follow Buddhism because she read about Buddhist monks in her books. Manoj says about this:
“It is not right to tell children at this age which religion they should belong to. Let them discover it themselves. Let them figure out their own religion. We don’t need to impose anything on them. We should not limit their thinking ability.”
Manoj Bajpayee was last seen in the Disney+Hotstar movie ‘Gulmohar’. In the coming days, he will be seen in the movies ‘Jorm’ and ‘Dispatch’. In addition to this, he will also be seen in the third season of the Amazon Prime Video series ‘The Family Man.
