Islamabad:Bollywood’s legendary actress Sharmila Tagore recently shared the story of her love and revealed how she embraced Islam before marrying the famous cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, also known as Tiger Pataudi.
In a candid interview, Sharmila Tagore discussed the challenges she faced when deciding to marry Tiger Pataudi, as they came from different religious backgrounds. During that time, interfaith marriages were not easily accepted in society. Sharmila revealed that in order to marry Tiger Pataudi, she decided to embrace Islam. She also shared that Tiger had suggested she take the name Ayesha Begum.
Sharmila went on to describe her first meeting with her mother-in-law, Nawab Begum Sajida Sultan of Bhopal, saying, “When I first met my mother-in-law, she was very nervous. She asked me, ‘What do you think of my son?’ I replied, ‘I like him.’ Then she asked, ‘What are your intentions?’ I told her, ‘I don’t know yet, I still need to get to know him, but I love him, and you’ve known him much longer than I have.'”
During a conversation with Simi Garewal, Sharmila emphasized that the situation was neither easy nor difficult but required understanding and tolerance. She further mentioned that she did not have a strong connection with religion before but now feels that she understands both Hinduism and Islam better.
Sharmila also recalled in a past interview the threats she received when she was about to marry Tiger Pataudi. She revealed that her parents received telegrams with threats of “bullets” and that Tiger’s family also received similar warnings. Despite the threats, the wedding proceeded without any incidents, and everything went smoothly.
Sharmila Tagore, who was regarded as one of the finest actresses of her era, became the highest-paid actress of her time. After converting to Islam, she married the famous cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and changed her name to Ayesha Sultana. The couple married on December 27, 1968.
