Priyamani says 'love jihad' jibes after marriage to Mustafa Raj 'took a toll': They said our kids would join ISIS

Actor Priyamani tied the knot with filmmaker Mustafa Raj in 2017, and while they felt it was an occasion to celebrate, their interfaith marriage soon became a reason for them to receive online hate. In a recent interview, Priyamani revealed how 'love jihad' jibes on social media took a toll on her. (Also read: Priyamani reveals Mohanlal once shot for film despite mom's hospitalisation: ‘He would go straight from set to her’)

Priyamani on love jihad accusations

In an interview with Filmfare, Priyamani said, “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.”

The actor added that while she understood people's penchant for saying things to celebs, the comments affected her a lot. “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 added.

However, the Jawan actor added that she and her husband never respond to these comments as she sees 'no point in adding fuel to the fire' and does not want to give trolls 'their one-minute fame'.

Priyamani's work

Priyamani was most recently seen in the Malayalam thriller Officer on Duty, which was released last week. In 2024, she appeared in Telugu film Bhamakalapam 2, along with Hindi films Article 370 and Maidaan. She will be next seen in Jana Nayagan, Vijay's final film before his retirement for politics.