8 Bollywood Celebrities Who Converted To Islam For The Sake Of Love

Born to a Hindu father and an Anglo-Indian mother, Ayesha Takia's marriage happened to her longtime boyfriend Farhan Azmi in 2009. The actress got converted to Islam before marrying Farhan in an Islamic Nikah ceremony. Though she never publicly announced her conversion but media sources have claimed that she converted to marry Farhan. The couple has a son named Mikail Azmi.

Veteran Bollywood heartthrob, Dharmendra who was a Punjabi-Jatt who was one of the famous Actors who changed their religion for the sake of love was an already married man. He fell in love with actress Hema Malini in the 70’s. In order to marry her he converted to Islam in 1979 and changed his name to Dilawar Khan Kewal Krishn. The pair subsequently got married in accordance with Islamic rites.

Hema Malini belonged to a staunch Tamil Iyengar family who was one of the most desirable actresses of the 70’s. After falling in love with the already married Dharmendra, the only way she could marry him officially was to convert to Islam and convert she did along with him for the sake of love and changed her name to Aisha Bi R. Chakravarty. The couple has two daughters from their marriage.

Music composer, singer and songwriter, A.R. Rahman was born as A.S. Dileep Kumar, a Hindu who later converted to Islam due to his father’s untimely death and his sister’s illness when his mother (a Muslim before marriage) met and gained immense solace by Sufi saint, peer Karimullah Shah Qadri. That’s when he was rechristened with a new name after getting enchanted by the ideals and values of Islam.

The former Bollywood actress who played the lead in films like ‘Aashiq Awara’ (1993), ‘Tirangaa’ (1993), ‘Krantiveer’ (1994), ‘Sabse Bada Khiladi’ (1995) and the blockbuster ‘Karan Arjun’ (1995) suddenly vanished from the screen only to later hear that she has embraced Islam after tying the knot with her boyfriend Vicky Goswami in 2013. After getting entangled in a few legal controversies it was reported that she is currently settled with her husband in Nairobi, Kenya.

Fondly called Dingy, actress Amrita Singh who was born in a Sikh-Muslim family and made her Bollywood screen debut in 1983 opposite Sunny Deol with ‘Betaab’ and delivered several hits in the 80’s and 90’s too converted to Islam just before her marriage to actor Saif Ali Khan in 1991. After thirteen years of marriage, the couple divorced in 2004. They have a daughter and a son named Sarah and Ibrahim, respectively.

Born as a Hindu- Bengali, the veteran actress of many hits, Sharmila Tagore also converted to Islam after she fell in love with the late cricketer, Mansoor Ali Pataudi, and before marrying him. Rechristened as Ayesha Begum after her marriage, the couple was blessed with three children – actor Saif Ali Khan, Saba Ali Khan and actress Soha Ali Khan.

The famous Indian-Punjabi bhangra pop turned sufi singer Hans Raj Hans, who has lent his vocals for many Bollywood films and Punjabi music albums, has embraced Islam after a deep study of the religion. Changing his name to ‘Muhammad Yousaf’, the singer announced that he will continue with his former name in the music industry.