Actor Sharmila Tagore had an interfaith marriage with former cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and went on to have three children. Recently, their daughter Saba Pataudi has opened up about her upbringing and revealed that while her mother converted to Islam after marriage and introduced her children to the faith, she never imposed any particular belief system on them.
Saba Pataudi on Sharmila Tagore guiding them in Islam
In a conversation with YouTube channel Big Bollywood Buff, Saba revealed that she practices Islam and revealed how, growing up, there was no practice of Hinduism at home, and her mother was the one who guided her and her siblings in Islam. She said, “If I were to think of a God, I would probably say Allah. That doesn’t mean that I don’t respect other religions. When Amma and Abba got married, my mother, in fact, did convert to Islam and did guide us in Islam, perhaps so that we wouldn’t be confused and would have some sort of grounding. There was no temple or Hindu religion that we practised.”
She added that faith is very personal and not something one can impose on anyone. “She taught me my faith and gave me an understanding of Islam, Ramzan and things like that. And then it was our choice what we wanted to follow. I was very connected to my faith. My siblings are in interfaith marriages; I don’t think anybody is following anything very strictly. We’ve grown up celebrating Christmas, Diwali, Holi, everything.”
About Sharmila Tagore and Mansoor Ali Khan’s marriage
Veteran actor Sharmila’s marriage to former Indian cricket captain and Nawab of Pataudi, Mansoor Ali Khan, was one of the most high-profile marriages of its time. After a four-year courtship, the two tied the knot in December 1969. Their relationship attracted considerable attention as Sharmila came from a Bengali Hindu family, while Mansoor belonged to a prominent Muslim royal family.
The marriage was not without opposition. Sharmila has revealed that her family received threatening telegrams before the wedding, while Mansoor’s family was also concerned. Despite the pressure, the couple went ahead with their relationship. In a 2026 interaction with Barkha Dutt, Sharmila also revealed that they had lived together before getting married because it was more convenient, something that was unconventional for the time. Sharmila and Mansoor remained married for 42 years, until his death in September 2011. They had three children—Saif Ali Khan, Saba Pataudi and Soha Ali Khan.