Thiruvananthapuram, March 12 – Monalisa Bhosle, who recently went viral during the Kumbh Mela, dismissed allegations on Thursday that her interfaith marriage constituted "love jihad," calling such claims false and misleading.
Addressing a press conference here in the state capital city a day after her wedding took place at a temple, Monalisa said the marriage had been misrepresented by certain media outlets, particularly some Hindi publications, which alleged religious conversion.
"There is no such thing. False propaganda is being spread. Everyone in society is equal," she said.
Monalisa, originally from Indore, married Farhan Khan, who is from Maharashtra, after approaching the Thampanoor Police Station seeking protection from her family, who opposed the relationship.
Police later facilitated the wedding at the Arumanoor Sri Nainar Deva Temple under tight security arrangements.
"I am an adult, and my real name is Monalisa Bhosle. My family had arranged another marriage for me, which is why I made this decision," she said, adding that the couple had met about seven months ago during a film shoot.
The two had first connected through Facebook about a year and a half ago, and later met when Monalisa arrived in Poovar near here for a film shoot.
When her family objected to the relationship, the couple approached the police for protection on Wednesday.
Monalisa's father, Jai Singh Bhosle, was called to the police station, where officers informed the family that since she had attained the age of 18, she was an adult and had the legal right to choose whom she wished to marry.
State CPI(M) Secretary, M.V. Govindan and Education Minister V. Sivankutty attended the ceremony and later greeted the young couple.
Farhan said they chose Kerala for the wedding because they expected strong opposition to their relationship elsewhere in the country.
"We plan to stay in Kerala for some time," he said, adding that their relationship blossomed during a film shoot. Monalisa said she was overwhelmed by the support they received in the state.
"Kerala is very beautiful, and the people here have greatly supported us," added the social media sensation.
