Suniel Shetty marked his Bollywood debut with the 1992 film, Balwaan. However, even before entering the entertainment industry, Suniel was a married man. He had tied the knot with Mana Qadri in 1991, despite many people warning him that it would be detrimental to his image as a new Bollywood hero. Moreover, Suniel’s parents were also opposed to the marriage, given Mana’s different religious and cultural background. But the couple defied every objection and have stood strong together through thick and thin.
Suniel Shetty says that his parents were against his relationship with Mana
Mana Qadri was born to a Gujarati Muslim father and a Punjabi Hindu mother. Suniel Shetty, on the other hand, is a Kannadiga Hindu. Due to their different religious backgrounds and cultures, Suniel’s parents were strongly opposed to him marrying Mana, the actor revealed in an interview with Pinkvilla. However, Mana has always stood by him from day one, hence when he got signed for his first film, Suniel decided to get married despite the objections to their relationship. Talking about his parents opposing the marriage, Suniel said:
“Mere maa baap clear thay ki shaadi hone waali nahi hai, aap shaadi kar nahi sakte. Her community was different. But she never thought that way. She always told me, ‘I’ll always be there for you as long as you want me to be part of your life.’ How can I forget that?”
Apart from his parents opposing the relationship, a lot of people also warned Suniel Shetty against getting married before making his Bollywood debut. The actor said that ‘the world’ told him that he would lose his fan following as a married man, especially among women. He was discouraged a lot from getting married to Mana, but he had made up his mind, said Suniel. The actor was quoted as saying:
“So when I got my first film, we decided to marry right then. We got married before my first release. The world kept telling me that if I got married, I’d lose my fan following, especially among women. Many people discouraged me. But I had made up my mind.”
Suniel Shetty talked about his married life with Mana
Suniel said that his wife loved him deeply enough to let him step into one of the most ‘insecure professions’, hence it’s his responsibility to honour that. As a result, Suniel stated that he has always been honest about his decisions, since Mana would have left him if he were ever insincere. Even today, his wife has the self-respect to leave him if his behaviour is ever wrong or of he is not committed, said Suniel. In the interview, he was quoted as saying:
“When someone you love deeply lets you step into one of the most insecure professions from a wife’s perspective, it becomes your responsibility to honour that. I’ve always been clear and honest about my decisions. And I knew, even if I failed, she would never leave me. Yes, if my behaviour was wrong or if I wasn’t committed, then she definitely would have. That self-respect was in Mana even back then, and it’s still there today.”
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