Sharmila Tagore opens up on her interfaith marriage to Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi in 1968, reveals they both received death threats – Times of India

Actor Sharmila Tagore and late cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi were married for over 43 years until his death in 2011. The veteran actor, whose maiden OTT movie Gulmohar releases today, had once opened up on how an interfaith union in the 60s was severely looked down upon, and how both sides of the family received death threats.

In an earlier conversation to Barkha Dutt, the Kashmir Ki Kali actor said, “In Kolkata, when I was getting married, my parents were getting telegrams saying that bullets shall speak. And Tiger’s family was also getting… they were getting a little worried.” Sharmila shared that the wedding and the reception was somehow managed and “nothing untoward happened.”

The actor also added that their wedding was simple and drama free. “We just announced to our respective parents that we want to get married and that was that. He carried on with his cricket and I carried on with my films,” she added.
The 78-year-old also said that while in Delhi, two strangers came to meet her and said, “We are from the CBI or something and do you need protection? I said what for? I mean I’m fine. Delhi thought I needed protection.”

Coming back to Gulmohar, it is the heartwarming tale of a family, headed by a matriarch, who has decided to sell their ancestral home. The movie co-stars Manoj Bajpayee, Suraj Sharma, Simran and Amol Palekar and is directed by Rahul V. Chittella.