Setting at rest intense speculation about the upcoming wedding of actress Sonakshi Sinha (37) and actor Zaheer Iqbal Ratansi (36), the groom’s father told the Free Press Journal on Friday that the marriage will not have any religious ceremony. “It will have neither Hindu or Muslim rituals. It will be a civil marriage,” he confirmed. The Ratansis belong to the close-knit Khoja Shia community.
Apparently, the marriage will be as per the Special Marriage Act, 1954, under which the couple had reportedly given the mandatory one-month notice to the marriage registrar. Ratansi said the wedding, scheduled for June 23, could be held at his Bandra residence on Carter Road. Under the Special Marriage Act, the registrar can come with the marriage register at a venue selected by the couple and complete the legal formalities.
Asked about reports about Sonakshi being converted to Islam, Ratansi rubbished them. “She is not converting, and that is for sure. Theirs is a union of hearts and religion has no role to play whatsoever,” he added. “I believe in humanity. God is called Bhagwan by Hindus and Allah by Muslims. But at the end of the day, we are all human beings. My blessings are with Zaheer and Sonakshi,” he stated.
It is reliably learnt that Sonakshi’s parents, actor-MP Shatrughan Sinha and Poonam are now reconciled to the marriage. A few days ago, Shatrughan Sinha had stated that he was unaware of the impending marriage and that he came to know about it only through the media. He observed that these days children only ‘inform’ their parents about their wedding and that, unlike in the past, parents have no role in the choice of their life partners.
On Thursday, Shatrughan Sinha and Poonam attended a pre-wedding get-together with Sonakshi and Zaheer and close relatives. While Sonakshi has a series of hit films and awards to her credit, Zaheer, whose father is a jeweller and financier, is yet to make a mark in Bollywood. He made his debut in the film “Notebook” in 2019 and acted in three other films.
(The article is published under a mutual content partnership arrangement between The Free Press Journal and Connected to India)