How Sharmila Tagore embraced Islam, adopted the name Ayesha to marry Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi: 'It wasn't easy'

Veteran actress Sharmila Tagore was married to ace cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and in an interview with Simi Grewal on her talk show, she spoke about her inter-faith marriage. The actress had embraced Islam, adopted the name Ayesha.

Tagore said, “It wasn’t easy nor was it very difficult. 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.” When asked about her name Ayesha, Mansoor said that he suggested the name.

She then spoke about her mother-in-law, Nawab Begum of Bhopal, and said, “The first time I met Amma, I was, of course, very nervous. She asked what do you think about my son? I said I like him and she said then what do you intend to do? And I said I don’t know yet I just met him, I am very fond of him and at this point you have known him for longer.”

In a recent interview with India Today, veteran actress  Sharmila Tagore spoke about how actors did films in their careers for money, to pay rent, or even help a colleague. She’s gearing up for Gulmohar that releases on March 3 on Disney Hotstar.

She said, “Well, we as professionals, sometimes we sign a film for money, just to pay the rent. Sometimes we help a colleague or somebody who thinks if I’m in the project, the project will do well. So I’ve made films for many reasons.”

When asked about the film and her character, the actress said, “I am seeing it for the third time and I was still crying profusely, although I am in it. Of course working with Manoj, Suraj… actually he makes me cry. I kind of vibe with this young lot. They make it so difficult for themselves. They can easily take their father’s money and get on, but they have to punish themselves. This is an assured debut film by Rahul and so well written.”