The iconic actress and two-time National Film Award winner, Sharmila Tagore, recently got candid and shared insights about her interfaith marriage with late Indian cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi. In a recent conversation with Twinkle Khanna, the actress, who married the Nawab of Pataudi in 1968, discussed the challenges her family faced due to their different religious backgrounds. She revealed that her family even received threats that they would get shot if she married Mansoor. When Khanna asked her about these threats, Tagore replied, “Bullets shall speak.”
She added, “In my family everybody, my uncle, my cousins, they were all married to Bengali and in Tiger’s family they were all married to their own, from their own community. So tiger and I were the only people and we just announced to our respective families that we are getting married, then I was working and he was playing Cricket, so we didn’t really know what the background angst were.”
Further, discussing her wedding and the challenges they encountered, Sharmila Tagore mentioned that her family had initially arranged the wedding at Fort William. This choice was made due to concerns about potential threats and other issues surrounding their interfaith marriage. However, Fort William backed out at the last minute because some of the groom’s relatives had connections with the Army. As a result, they had to find an alternative venue quickly, which turned out to be the spacious house of some ambassador friends.
Talking about her first meeting with Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, the actress revealed, “I met him at one of these cricket parties and he had just come back from England so that was the first time we met. I was going to Nainital for work and I was in Delhi when he scored his double century so we had exchanged telephone numbers in Kolkata so I called his house and left a message saying, ‘well done congratulations’ and forgot all about it.”
“When I came back to Mumbai I was staying with a friend, she said there was somebody very peculiar message I got that ‘You’ve got five fridges, so did you order five fridges?’ I got so nervous and I said you know somebody’s trying to get me into trouble. I mean I didn’t order any fridge so I said ‘I better return this call and find out what’s happening.’ So I called that number and of course it was Tiger and he thought it was very funny,” she adds.
The two then decided to meet for a cup of coffee. During their conversation, she found Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi to be gentle and trustworthy, believing that he would never intentionally hurt her. After two years of engagement, she decided it was the right time to get married and another two years later, she felt it was time to start a family.
Further, when Twinkle Khanna asked Sharmila Tagore about being the matriarch of a very influential family and how she manages them. Sharmila explained, “I don’t think I have anything to do with it, they all live in their own homes with their own adjustments.” Despite this, they all wish to stay connected, and she maintains communication with each of them.
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