Mumbai: After intense speculation over their relationship, Sonakshi Sinha and Zaheer Iqbal Ratansi are all set to tie the knot on June 23.
While the 37-year-old bride is a noted actress and daughter of veteran actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha, the groom is from the close-knit Khoja Shia community who has also dabbled in films.
There has been curiosity over whether Sonakshi, who is a year older that Zaheer, will convert to Islam after marriage.
However, Zaheer’s father Iqbal Ratansi told the Free Press Journal that there won’t be any religious ceremony during the marriage.
“It will have neither Hindu nor Muslim rituals. It will be a civil marriage,” Iqbal senior said.
He rubbished reports suggesting that Sonakshi will convert to Islam post marriage.
“She is not converting and that is for sure. Theirs is a union of hearts and religion has no role to play whatsoever,” Zaheer’s father stated firmly.
“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 added.
The wedding will reportedly take place as per the Special Marriage Act, 1954 for which the couple gave the mandatory one-month notice to the marriage registrar.
Sonakshi’s father Shatrughan had said a few days ago that he was unaware of the impending marriage and had come to know about it through the media.
He had observed that parents these days are only ‘informed’ about their children’s wedding and have no role in the choice of their life partners, leading to speculation that Sonakshi’s parents were not happy with her decision to marry Zaheer.
However, Shatrughan and his wife Poonam attended a pre-wedding get-together with Sonakshi, Zaheer and close relatives on Thursday.
