Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh were 12 years apart in age, but very much in love. They had been living together for a few months before marrying in a Muslim wedding, a nikaah, in 1991. Designers Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla recently opened up about the impromptu wedding, how it led to Amrita Singh changing her name to "Aziza", and the aftermath, as the couple's parents were oblivious to the whole situation.
What Happened
- In a conversation with fashion journalist Namrata Zakaria on her YouTube channel, Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla revealed that Amrita Singh wore whatever she could, as there was no time to prepare during the nikaah with Saif.
- The designers recalled, "We signed as witnesses at their nikahnama. One fine day, they came to us and said, 'We want to get married now!' It was Saif; Dingy was still undecided. They were in love, and he had been living with her for six or eight months. He was ready for it; she kept swinging between yes and no. At the time, we were living in a single room. We went to a friend's house - she lived alone in a beautiful apartment and offered to host it. Abu and I dressed Dingy, and of course, we called for a maulvi."
- They continued, "There was also a sardarji pandit sitting there. She wore whatever fit her, because there was no time... Fortunately, she had some fantastic jewellery from her mother. Saif wore a bandhgala. Then the maulvi asked, 'What is your name? Your name has to start with A.' All four of us looked at one another, and the pandit said, 'Aziza.' That was a runaway bride - it was insane. On the drive back, her mother called her... Eventually, they all took it in their stride."
When Sharmila Tagore Was Hurt About Being Unaware Of Saif's Wedding
In an earlier episode of Koffee with Karan, Saif Ali Khan recalled how his mother, veteran actress Sharmila Tagore, was deeply upset about his and Amrita Singh's secret wedding.
He shared, "I said, 'I got married yesterday', and a big tear fell from her eye. She started crying, and I felt I had really hurt her. She said, 'You really hurt me. Why didn't you tell me?' That's exactly what happened."
About Saif Ali Khan And Amrita Singh's Marriage
The couple separated in 2004, ending their 13-year-long marriage. Despite their 12-year age gap, they had a very public relationship. However, rising personal tensions, along with Saif repeatedly mentioning in interviews that he felt "restricted" in the marriage, eventually led to their divorce. Together, they have two children - Sara Ali Khan and Ibrahim Ali Khan.
In A Nutshell
Designers Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla spoke about being witnesses to Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh's nikaah in 1991. They revealed how the "runaway bride", Amrita, was given the name Aziza during the ceremony in their interfaith marriage.
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