Priyamani Shares How She Became a Target of Trolls After Interfaith Marriage: ‘So Much Hate’

Priya Mani Raj, professionally known as Priyamani, is loved for her works in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi and Kannada cinema. The 40-year-old actress has won several awards, including a National Film Award and three Filmfare Awards South. She is most loved for her role in the thriller The Family Man starring Manoj Bajpayee. The actress played the role of Bajpayee’s wife Suchritra Tiwari in the drama, which ran for two seasons.

Although Priyamani enjoys a huge fandom due to her versatile acting skills, she has faced a lot of ire from social media for her personal life. Ever since reports of her dating her longtime boyfriend, Mustafa Raj, surfaced on social media, they have been met with significant backlash. After her engagement in 2016, the actress also had to face trolls who attacked the couple’s unborn children. She spoke about the experience in an interview with Filmfare.

During the conversation, Priyamani recalled how her excitement about posting a joint message with Mustafa Raj on Facebook announcing their engagement turned into a controversy. She said: “People were texting me saying, ‘Jihad, Muslim, your children will be terrorists’.” She confessed how this experience affected her. “It’s depressing. Why target one intercaste couple? There are many leading actors who got married outside their caste or religion. They didn’t necessarily adopt or accept that religion. They simply fell in love with someone, regardless of religion. I don’t understand why there is so much hate around this,” she added.

The actress even talked about an incident during one of her Eid celebrations, during which a social media user accused her of converting to Islam. “How do you know I’m converted? It’s my decision. I am a born Hindu and I will always follow my faith,” she emphasized. “People asked why I wasn’t posting for Navratri. I didn’t know how to react, but it didn’t concern me anymore. I decide not to pay attention to such negative emotions,” she added.

Priyamani and her then-fiancé Mustafa Raj met at an IPL match in Bengaluru, where she was the brand ambassador and he was part of the event management team. They soon found a connection and began a whirlwind romance. They got engaged in 2016, after several years of dating. Mustafa then proposed to Priyamani in the finale of D for Dance, where the actress was a judge.

The lovebirds then decided to take their relationship to the next stage and got married in 2017 in Bengaluru. However, controversy and negative emotions surrounding their interreligious relationship persisted even after their marriage.

Despite the backlash, the actress continues to share loving posts with her husband on social media. Priyamani is trying to stay calm and happy in her relationship with husband Mustafa Raj despite constant trolling on social media.