Thiruvananthapuram, March 12 Monalisa Bhonsle, the young woman who gained fame during the Prayagraj Kumbh Mela last year, said on Thursday that her marriage to a Muslim man here was according to her choice and in accordance with Hindu customs, rejecting allegations that it was a case of "love-jihad".
Bhonsle, who hails from Madhya Pradesh, said that neither she nor her husband changed their religion, and that she had forced him to marry her.
"He did not want to marry me, but I forced him to do so. We got married according to Hindu customs," she told reporters at a press conference here.
The couple also said that it was not a case of "love-jihad" as allegedly reported by a section of the media, as all religions are the same for them.
"We respect all religions and we have not converted," they said.
The term 'love Jihad' is used by right-wing groups to allege a conspiracy by Muslim men to lure Hindu women into relationships and marriage to convert them to Islam.
Bhonsle's husband, who is from Uttar Pradesh, also said that when in love, there is no need to convert to another religion.
He also showed soft copies of Bhonsle's Aadhaar card and birth certificate on his phone in support of his assertion that her birthday was January 1, 2008, and that she was an adult now.
He also showed copies of their marriage certificate.
He further said that he got married according to Hindu customs as he loves Bhonsle and wants to make her happy.
Bhonsle, the eldest of four children, said her parents wanted her to marry her paternal aunt's son, but she opposed the idea.
"He is like a brother to me. How could I marry him," she said, adding that her father is in Kerala, but did not attend their wedding as he was upset with her.
"We will placate him in time," her husband said.
She said that she has a younger sister and two younger brothers back home.
Responding to reporters' queries regarding his career, Bhonsle's husband said he has been travelling frequently to Kerala and Chennai in connection with film work and he has worked in some Tamil movies.
"But for the last one-and-half years I have been living in Thiruvananthapuram," he said.
The couple thanked the Kerala government and the police for their help in getting married and said that they never thought they would get so much support from everyone.
Earlier in the day, Bhonsle and her husband told reporters that she was over 18 years of age.
Her husband said that they had registered their marriage and the same would not be possible if she was underage.
"She is above 18 years of age. Otherwise, how would our registered marriage be possible. All the news regarding her being underage are fake and incorrect. Please do not believe that," he said. Bhonsle also said such news items were "fake and incorrect."
When reporters asked the couple whether the two intended to continue staying in Kerala, the man said that it depends on his wife's wishes.
Bhonsle said that she likes Kerala and wants to stay in the state.
She also said that the shooting of one of her movies was over and the other was ongoing.
Her husband said that they had met and fell in love six months ago when they were cast for a movie.
"Shooting of that movie has not started yet," he added.
The couple got married on Wednesday at the Nainar Temple at Arumanoor in Poovar in the presence of Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty, ruling CPI (M) state secretary M V Govindan, Rajya Sabha MP A A Rahim and other prominent leaders of the Marxist party.
Bhonsle had said that her family did not like their relationship and had pressured her to marry another person.
On Wednesday, the couple had reached the Thampanoor police station alleging that her father was trying to forcibly take her back to her hometown.
The couple had arrived in nearby Poovar recently in connection with a film shoot.
With a captivating smile and beautiful eyes, the Indore girl had shot to fame after a virtual content creator shared a video of her selling rudraksh garlands at Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh last year.