Emraan Hashmi reveals wife Parveen Shahani’s relatives were apprehensive of his relationship before marriage due to onscreen image: “They were like, ‘Wow, she’s going to marry him?’”

Emraan Hashmi recently opened up about his marriage to Parveen Shahani in an interview that revealed the personal challenges they faced and the strength of their relationship. Hashmi shared insights on how his professional choices impacted his personal life, particularly his marriage.

In a candid conversation on Shubhankar Mishra’s podcast, Emraan delved into the early days of his relationship with Parveen, whom he dated for several years before their wedding. He admitted that some of her relatives were initially sceptical about their union, largely due to his on-screen image. “Some of her relatives had ‘dikkat’ (problems) at the very beginning. I had a strong image, you see. They were like, ‘Wow, she’s going to marry Emraan Hashmi?’ They had never met me; I’m talking about distant relatives,” Emraan said. However, he emphasized that these reservations faded once they got to know him personally.

Despite the external pressures, Parveen remained a pillar of support for Emraan. He credited her understanding of nature as crucial to their relationship’s success, particularly given the type of roles he took up early in his career. “She used to scold me a lot. But she’s also very understanding. If she wasn’t understanding, I wouldn’t have been able to do the kind of roles that I did,” he shared.

Emraan and Parveen have been married for 18 years, a period he described as “wonderful” and “happy.” Reflecting on their journey, he expressed deep gratitude and commitment to his wife. “We’ve had 18 years of wonderful, happy marriage. I value her in my life, and I would never leave her,” he affirmed.

When asked why there haven’t been any scandalous rumours about him, he attributed it to his genuine relationship and the respect he has for his wife. “Before social media, the lines between on-screen and off-screen image would be blurred, so people thought that I was actually like my characters. Some of them didn’t even know if I was married,” he added.

Emraan spoke about the period when his career was just taking off, and he didn’t have a ‘phooti kaudi’ (not a single penny) to his name. Parveen stood by him during those early struggles. Throughout the interview, Emraan highlighted the importance of prioritizing his relationship over his career. He stated unequivocally that he never considered putting his wife aside to focus on his work. “That would be a very sad state of affairs,” he remarked. “In my life, my relationship, my love for her was the priority. The profession was secondary.” This approach, he believes, has been key to maintaining a healthy and loving marriage.

When asked about the secret to a happy marriage, Emraan humorously advised, “Listen to your wife, even when she’s wrong.”

Meanwhile, Emraan Hashmi was most recently seen in the web series Showtime.
ALSO READ: Emraan Hashmi on getting stuck to “serial kisser” label: “For 7-8 years, that was the image I and the producers were selling”