Sonakshi Sinha and Zaheer Iqbal recently shared an intimate and humorous story about how Zaheer approached Sonakshi’s father, legendary actor Shatrughan Sinha, to ask for her hand in marriage. During their session with Tavishi Paitandy at CNN News18 Mumbai Townhall 2024, Zaheer described the nerve-wracking experience.
The decision to approach Shatrughan Sinha was actually initiated by Zaheer himself. “It was me who said, ‘I think it’s time we tell your father,’” Zaheer revealed, noting that their relationship had started to become too obvious to keep under wraps. While Sonakshi was waiting for the perfect moment to approach her father, “I had to check where he was, make sure he was in a good mood.” Zaheer began to mentally prepare for the daunting task ahead.
Zaheer humorously described the elaborate preparations he undertook before speaking to Shatrughan. “I made so many monologues,” he laughed. “One was serious, another was comedic. I was literally preparing for all kinds of situations.” With only a couple of days until Shatrughan returned from Delhi, Zaheer approached the meeting as if he were getting ready for a film role. “I was prepared to speak in shudh Hindi, to try and impress him,” Zaheer joked, imagining himself saying, “Sir, mujhe aapki beti se bahut mohabbat hai (I love your daughter very much).”
Despite all his careful rehearsals, Zaheer confessed that his nerves got the better of him once he finally met Shatrughan Sinha. “Everything was forgotten the moment I entered the room,” Zaheer admitted. “I was fumbling for the first two, three minutes.” But much to his relief, Shatrughan quickly put him at ease. “He made me feel so comfortable, and after that, we just became great friends,” Zaheer said, visibly relieved as he recalled the interaction.
For Zaheer, the experience had initially been intimidating due to Shatrughan Sinha’s powerful public image. “I had the same image as everyone else—that he’s very serious, and he might just say ‘Khamosh!’ and I’d run out of the house,” Zaheer quipped, referencing Shatrughan’s famous movie dialogue. However, the reality was much different once they met in person. Zaheer added, “He has a personality that makes you feel a bit intimidated at first, but once you get to know him, it’s all good.”
Sonakshi chimed in, affirming her father’s larger-than-life presence. “Yeah, my father has that effect on people,” she said with a smile. “But he’s a complete softie—once you get past the initial fear, you realise he’s the nicest guy.”
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