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Farah Khan Ali says mother Zarine Khan wanted Hindu cremation, recalls facing online hate: ‘People were so against’

Farah Khan Ali discussed the backlash her family faced after cremating her mother, Zarine Khan, following her last wish.

Updated on: Jul 5, 2026, 09:56:05 IST
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Veteran star Sanjay Khan's daughter, Farah Khan Ali, recently opened up about her family facing backlash after her mother, Zarine Khan, was cremated according to Hindu customs following her death in November last year.

Farah on why her mother was cremated as a Hindu

Sanjay Khan in photo with Zarine Khan.
Sanjay Khan in photo with Zarine Khan.

In a recent interaction, Farah shared the reason behind the family's decision to cremate Zarine according to Hindu rituals and revealed that it was her mother's last wish. She told Vickey Lalwani, "Even though she was born a Parsi and married a Muslim, she asked us to cremate her as a Hindu because she wanted her ashes to be immersed in flowing water in Kashmir. She was claustrophobic about being in a grave. So that was one of the reasons she wanted to be cremated, and so we did. It was really sad because when she died there were so many unkind comments on social media, both from Hindus and Muslims, asking why we were cremating her. The Muslims were like, 'How can you cremate her? She was a Muslim.' And the Hindus were like, 'How can you cremate her? She was a Muslim.'"

Farah on facing trolls

Farah also recalled how Zarine's prayer meet had five priests from different religions—Parsi, Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Sikh—all offering prayers. She further revealed that around 2,000 people attended the prayer meet, making it a truly interfaith farewell that reflected Zarine's beliefs and values.

About Zarine Khan's death

Zarine Khan was an actor and interior designer. She was married to veteran actor Sanjay Khan. She breathed her last in November last year at her and Sanjay Khan's Mumbai residence. She passed away at the age of 81 after suffering from age-related ailments for a long time. She was the mother of four children, including Hrithik Roshan's ex-wife Sussanne Khan.

 
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