Priyamani On Facing Hate Over Interfaith Marriage: ‘They Called It Love Jihad, Said Our Kids Will Join ISIS’

Priyamani and Mustafa Raj’s marriage has often been subjected to scrutiny and unwarranted criticism due to their interfaith relationship.

Priyamani and Mustafa Raj tied the knot in 2017.

Source : Instagram/@pillumani

Priyamani and Mustafa Raj’s marriage has often been subjected to scrutiny and unwarranted criticism due to their interfaith relationship. The couple tied the knot in 2017. Even after nearly seven years of marriage, the actress revealed that they continue to receive negative comments on social media. 

Priyamani on the backlash she got after announcing her engagement

Speaking to Filmfare, Priyamani shared how she initially announced her engagement with excitement, believing that people who genuinely cared for her would celebrate the moment. However, she was taken aback by the backlash she received. “When I announced my engagement, I just wanted to share this happy moment with people whom I honestly believed genuinely cared for me. However, I don’t know for what rhyme or reason, unnecessary hate started pouring in and the love jihad accusations followed. They even went to the extent of saying that, when we have kids tomorrow, they would join ISIS,” she recalled. 

How hate comments affected her

The relentless negativity affected Priyamani's emotional well-being. She admitted that the comments disturbed her for a few days, especially since they were not just aimed at her but also at her husband. “I understand that since I belong to the media and the film industry, you can say what you want. But why do you want to attack somebody who is not at all (a part of these things)? You don’t even know who that person is. It took a toll on me for 2-3 days because I kept getting a lot of messages. Even now, if I post something with him, nine out of ten comments will be about our religion or caste,” she told Filmfare. 

Despite the continued trolling, the actress has learned to ignore the negativity over the years. Priyamani, who was last seen in the Malayalam crime thriller ‘Officer On Duty’, stated that she no longer engages with such comments. “I figured out that there is no point in adding fuel to the fire. I don’t want to give importance to that person or let them have their one-minute fame. This is somebody who is sitting behind a computer or a phone, and all they do is post something in the hope that we would reply,” she explained.