Manoj Bajpayee talks about his interfaith marriage with Shabana Raza: 'None of my family members ever objected to it'

Manoj Bajpayee tied the knot with Shabana Raza, who went by the screen name of Neha in the few films that she acted in, in 2006 and the couple is parents to a twelve-year-old daughter named Ava Nayla, who shares her birthday on the same date as her parents' wedding anniversary on February 23.

In a recent interview with Mojo Story, the National Award-winning actor Manoj opened up on his interfaith marriage with Shabana Raza and said that nobody has the 'strength or courage' to question their relationship, adding that his wife is a proud Muslim and he is a proud Hindu.

The Family Man actor said, "My marriage with Shabana, more than religion, is about the values that we share. And those values we don’t talk about. These are unsaid. Tomorrow, if one of us changes our values, our marriage wouldn’t last. She’s spiritual, very, very spiritual. She’s a proud Muslim, and I’m a proud Hindu, but it doesn’t clash with each other." 

When he was asked if there was any gossip about their inter-religious marriage within his own family, the actor stated, "Had there been any, it was not conveyed to me, and it was not made obvious. I come from a Brahmin family, a feudal family. Her family had a lot of reputation and prestige to their name. But surprisingly, none of my family members ever objected to it. Never, till now."

"Even if they would’ve talked about the religion of my wife, they could never have the strength or the courage to speak to me on my face. Because they know that I don’t mince my words, I’m very hard, when it comes to anyone talking like that. I come very, very hard. I’m a tough guy then", Manoj concluded.

In an old interview in 2008, Shabana Raza, who was seen in films like Kareeb, Fiza, and Hogi Pyaar Ki Jeet, revealed that she was 'forced' to change her name to Neha before stepping into Bollywood. "I was never Neha. I was always Shabana. I was forced into changing my name too. I was not okay with it at all. My parents proudly named me Shabana. There was no need to change it, but nobody listened to me", she had told Rediff.com.

READ | Manoj Bajpayee's wife Shabana thinks it’s a miracle he still exists in Bollywood: 'Tumne itne logo ko naraaz kiya hai'