It’s ironic how films like My Name Is Khan succeed in making our parents sympathise with the interfaith couple on screen, but fail to convince them to support their children for the same IRL.
People who fall in love with someone of a different religion have a difficult time persuading their parents to approve their marriages. And these 12 people talking about how they convinced their parents to allow their interfaith marriages are proof.
1. “I was able to convince my family as they were open. But from my wife’s side they were too conservative, so till the end they never accepted our love. So finally we decided to get married without their acceptance. After marriage within a few months they accepted me. It’s been 3 years now. I am happily married with a son.”
2. “The very first thing that you need to do is talk it out with your partner about your future. It may so happen that you may be deeply in love but things might change after marriage and where there are two different cultures involved, there is a huge probability of having problems.”
3. “Never ever dictate terms or emotionally blackmail your parents. Try to convince them but don’t force them to accept your partner. As you have a right to live with the person of your choice, your parents too have a choice. It’s not only about your life but their life too.”
4. “I married a girl from another religion. So did my dad. And my wife’s parents married across castes. Were things super smooth? No. But after a few years, it did get better. It did help that we are not religious, and are adamant that our kids follow a religion.”
5. “Muslim guy with Hindu wife here. My parents were totally against it, and managed to convince her parents, provided there were no conversions. We have this cool thing in India called a Special Marriage Act. Religion is completely out of the picture here.”
6. “My sister married a Hindu. My parents are Muslim. Parents got depressed for a year and didn’t talk to her. Sister stood her ground. Now she has a kid. Everything is returning back to normal.”
7. “I had an inter-religious wedding. My parents had no problems whatsoever, while my wife’s parents insisted that no matter what other ceremony we had, there should be a Church wedding. We finally had a Hindu-style public wedding, a private Church wedding (for my wife’s parents and her siblings) and a Special Marriages Act wedding (at my insistence).”
9. “When I first broke the news to my parents, a huge drama unfolded. They felt betrayed and asked me to end my relationship. I was quite firm that I would never do that. So that left them with no option but to concede and at least attempt to get to know Saahil’s family. Slowly and steadily our love and Saahil’s confidence and persistence won over my family.”
10. “Rakesh’s parents were reasonable but my parents were totally against us. They were angry, manipulative and sarcastic when it came to any logical conversation about my marriage. Even my own mother couldn’t stand up to my father. She only advised me to run away if I wanted to marry Rakesh, for she was sure it would never happen with my father’s blessings. My parents did not communicate with me over a decade and a half because of my marriage”
11. “Jimmy’s parents had absolutely no objection but my parents were a little sceptical on several grounds – the difference in age, religion and language being some of them. But after meeting him a couple of times and with confidence and trust in my choice, they realised he is a genuine guy that truly loves me.”
12. “It seemed like an impossible task to convince both the families, especially my family patriarch–my grandfather. But finally, after eight years of a long courtship when it was evident to both sides of the family that she and I would not budge from our decision to be together we were married.”