Zinia Sen and Ruman Ganguly (BOMBAY TIMES; July 4, 2019)

Their Alipore apartment is being set up at the moment, but newly-weds Nusrat Jahan and Nikhil Jain have already made it their home with a lot of love. They might be super-busy, as Nusrat is an actress-MP and Nikhil, a businessman, but the duo said it’s their we-time that keeps them going. On Sunday afternoon, Nikhil was all set to leave for the hotel where their reception will be held soon and Nusrat had plans to make an elaborate dinner of matar ki kachori, daal makhni, Kashmiri aloo dum and veg pulao for her husband, but before that, they sat with us for a long-pending chat — their first after returning from Bodrum where they exchanged vows. Excerpts:

Nusrat, you have been invited as the special guest for the inauguration of International Society for Krishna Consciousness’s (Iskcon) Rath Yatra festival. Have you accepted the invite?
Nusrat: It’s a matter of great honour for me to be invited by them. Of course, I will be attending it. It will be my pleasure to be associated with this inclusive event. They have also invited Nikhil. So, both of us will be present there. After that, we will get ready for our reception. I used to visit Mayapur for Ulta Rathayatra every year. I have always respected all religions and will continue to do so.
Nikhil: It’s a proud moment for anyone to get invited as a special guest for the inauguration of Iskcon’s Rath Yatra festival. We both are looking forward to it.

When a cleric recently said he doesn’t recognise your marriage to a Hindu, you wrote on social media, “Paying heed or reacting to comments made by hardliners of any religion only breeds hatred and violence, and history bears testimony to that..” At a time when everything about you is under scrutiny, how do you keep your calm?
Nusrat: I have been calm all these years. These things don’t matter to me. This gives me an opportunity to show people what I am. If this causes a stir and brings about a change, I will be more than glad. I want every woman to live life the way they wish to and not abide by the norms imposed on them. A lot of people had problems with me posting a selfie where I was covered from top to bottom. I am here to focus on myself and my work. I am not bothered about who says what.

Nikhil, does this bother you?
Nikhil: I agree that it’s not normal for me. Someone asked me, ‘How are you going to deal with it, she is an actor and now she is an MP…?’ I think when you love someone, you accept everything about that person.

Nikhil, when did you propose marriage to her?
Nikhil: It was on my birthday last year. On November 17, she gave me a birthday party. Three to four days before that, I decided I would propose to her. I bought the ring…
Nusrat: I had seen the packet, but he told me it was for someone else.
Nikhil: We went out for dinner. I was driving and she sat beside me. All our friends were following our car. There were butterflies in my stomach. I stopped the car in front of Victoria Memorial at midnight. I said, two of my friends are fighting in another car. I walked her out, went down on my knees and proposed to her. I asked her, ‘Will you make my jawlines ache forever?’ She said yes. It was an emotional moment for us.

Nikhil, what was your reaction when Nusrat was trolled for posting a picture of hers at Parliament?
Nikhil: If people are talking about her among so many parliamentarians, it’s a good thing. Probably I only took that picture. I felt she was wearing a perfectly normal dress.
Nusrat: One of the pictures was taken by Nik (she calls him that). Had this incident not happened, I wouldn’t have known how many women were out there to support me. It’s good when someone takes the initiative to bring about a change, that’s how we progress in society.
Nikhil: The same thing happened when she wore sari and sindoor…
Nusrat: I am a married woman and I was following the rituals of a married woman. I don’t know why people are saying that I converted. I am a Muslim woman, but that doesn’t mean I cannot pay respect to any other religion or their rituals. People are writing to me, ‘Tumi jahannam e jabe (you will go to hell)’. They are probably guards of hell and heaven and make a call and say, ‘yeh karna hai, woh nahin karna hai’. How can people tell you what you are supposed to do!
Nikhil: That’s probably 5% of social media. The rest 95% is very positive. On Twitter, many said this is what secular, inclusive India is — a Muslim woman keeps her name, adds a Hindu name to hers, wears sindoor, touches the feet of elders, which is the tradition in India, and says Vande Mataram.

You also had a white wedding apart from following the Hindu and Muslim traditions…
Nusrat: I really dreamt of it from my childhood. I wanted to wear a white gown and walk down the aisle. Whatever I dreamt of, he turned it into a reality. I might sound romantic, cliché, mushy, but that’s the reality. It came to me like a surprise. He flew in my favourite artiste, Rahul Jain, to render songs we’d be hearing in the car…

Nusrat, what happens to your acting career now?
Nusrat: Many asked me, films or politics? My answer is, both. Films made me what I am. I haven’t got my first remuneration as an MP, so what I earn as an actor is feeding me now. I am not giving up on films.

RAPID FIRE

WITH NIKHIL

What do you like about her the most?
She’s humble

What’s do you not like about her?
She nags

Best date place?
Somewhere in the hills

Her first gift to you?
A watch

Her best film?
Ami Je Ke Tomar

WITH NUSRAT

What do you like about him the most?
His simplicity

One nagging habit?
He has many!

His first gift to you?
A sari

He looks best in a...
Anything in white

On a movie date, what will you watch?
An animation film