Zaheer Khan and Sagarika Ghatge. (Pic: sagarika/Instagram)
Bollywood actor Sagarika Ghatge and cricketer Zaheer Khan have been married for eight years and are going strong. Recently, the couple sat down with another cricketer-actor pair — Harbhajan Singh and Geeta Basra — and spoke candidly about their marriage, how Zaheer was warned against dating Sagarika if he was not serious, and how the two continue to respect each other’s religions which forms the bedrock of their relationship.
Speaking about Zaheer on the YouTube channel Who’s The Boss?, Geeta said, “10–15 years ago, when I used to meet him, he used to be single.” Sagarika jokingly asked if he was affairs and added, “Single or idhar- Udhar.” Geeta continued, “That I don’t know, but at that time, he used to ask me that if you find a nice girl, please let me know. He was ready for marriage at that time. He wanted someone to come into his life and settle down.”
Sagarika vowed never to marry a cricketer
Zaheer recalled how he had known Sagarika for a long time before they started dating. He said, “I had known her for a long time, but not personally, we had many common friends. but whenever her name came up, I was always given a red alert, that if you’re going in this direction then you have got to be serious. All her friends used to tell me that.”
Sagarika shared why Zaheer was initially hesitant to ask her out on a date. She said, “When we used to go for dinner together, I used to always have my best friends with me, two boys, bodyguards. He asked me out for a date, but told me that it’s a proper date without these two friends.” Zaheer later admitted that he proposed to her in Goa in between the IPL season.
Sagarika also admitted that she did not want to marry a cricketer initially, but her perspective changed after meeting Zaheer. She said, “I was very clear. I don’t want to marry a cricketer or an actor.”
When asked why cricketers often marry actresses, Zaheer responded, “Even if Sagarika was not an actress or something else, it would not have mattered. We cricketers, we never look at it that way.”
Zaheer and Sagarika on their inter-faith marriage
Harbhajan Singh lauded Zaheer and also spoke about the couple’s mutual respect for each other’s religions. He shared how Zaheer is the first person to light the lamp during the Ganpati festival. Speaking about the same, Zaheer said, “My parents have taught me to respect all religions. You should do what makes you happy and not worry about what people are saying. If she respects something that I also need to have that respect because we are in marriage together.”
Zaheer also spoke about the time he met Sagarika’s parents and formally asked for her hand in marriage. Sagarika said, “My parents are very progressive yet traditional, and and protocols have to be followed,” she said. Zaheer added, “I had to officially go and meet her father. She had scared me, but the meeting was very relaxed. We planned to meet for half-an-hour, but we ended up talking for two hours.”
Adding to this, Sagarika said, “I have grown up doing Diwali Pooja, Gudi Padwa Pooja, because I’ve seen my mother do it so I have continued doing that. He has utmost respect for that, in fact, he is a part of it even more than me.”
Sagarika is best known for playing Preeti Sabharwal in the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Chak De! India. She is returning to films after a break with Lalat.
Curated by James Chen
