‘Sara is just too naïve’

Says actor Ali Merchant, refuting rumours of a previous marriage. Adds he can’t wait to have wife out of the House.

Being a hardcore Muslim, how can I negate the rules of my religion? We don’t remarry without a complete talaakh. So, I can tell you with proof that Sara and I have been married only once, and that was in the presence of a hundred million Indians on national TV," says actor Ali Merchant, who entered Bigg Boss 4 to rekindle romance with fiancée, and now wife, actor Sara Khan. "I could sense that someone was brainwashing her in the House. And trust me, Sara is too naïve to understand anyone’s agenda. She almost fell into the trap."

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Sara

A day before the wedding, reports of his marriage with Khan were all over newspapers and TV channels with photographs. A qazi present at their ‘wedding’ had even issued statements confirming it. Ditto Khan’s mother. "How can they even do that?" asks a rather shocked Merchant. "The marriage never happened. They’re lying. We had folks here and in Bhopal. So we had two engagement parties. But we didn’t have nikaah."



Merchant, it’s said had staged the entire drama and charged Colors, the channel running the show, Rs 50 lakh for it. "I had requested to be put into the House to sort out our relationship. And being from an affluent family, I didn’t ask for that fee, though it’s a huge amount that can allure anyone to stage anything asked for. We requested to be married after I entered. Surprisingly, they allowed it," says the actor, about whom it’s said he entered the house to gather publicity to breathe life into his sagging career.

Moving on, the actor is now looking forward to two honeymoons and two receptions in Bhopal and in Mumbai after his newly-wed bride is out of the Bigg Boss House.

“Since we’ve been accused of two marriages followed by threats from religious groups, we’ll have two honeymoons, with receptions in between, to please everyone who couldn’t be there in person,” says Merchant. “I can’t wait to have Sara back. It was a marriage we hadn’t planned and neither did we think of being accused of so many things. Nevertheless, we’ll move on.”