Actor Urmila Matondkar, known for hit films like Rangeela, Judaai and Deewane, has been away from the limelight for quite a while now. However, her personal life has suddenly grabbed headlines with news of her filing for divorce from husband Mohsin Akhtar Mir after 8 years of marriage.

As reported by Hindustan Times, “After careful consideration, Urmila has decided to call it quits on her marriage with Mohsin. She has already filed for divorce in court. While the reason behind the separation is still not known, the divorce isn’t happening on mutual terms.”

The Love Story

For the unversed, the actor tied the knot with Mohsin on March 3, 2016, in an intimate ceremony. The two had met for the first time during designer Manish Malhora’s niece’s wedding in 2014. Though Urmila was 10 years older than Mohsin and belonged to a different faith, the Kashmiri boy could not help but fall in love with the diva at first sight.

And then began Mohsin’s efforts to woo Urmila, who initially was not happy with the idea of a relationship with him. From taking her out for shopping her dinner to providing immense support to her work, Mohsin did everything and finally convinced Urmila to get married.  

The Much-Talked About Wedding

Mohsin and Urmila kept it very intimate and the only person invited from industry was Manish Malhotra. There were two ceremonies – A ‘nikah’ followed by ‘pheraas’. Talking about it, Urmila had said in an interview, “We kept it an exclusive wedding with just family and friends at the celebration. Since our families wanted the wedding to be a low-key affair. We mutually decided to keep it private. We seek your blessings on embarking this new journey of our lives.”

The Controversy That Followed

This wedding led to people talking about Urmila’s conversion to Islam. While everyone was making speculations, the actor came forward to put an end to it through an interview with Bombay Times. She said that all this was politics and she is proud of her identity. “That was in bad taste. That’s the kind of politics I don’t appreciate. First of all, how does it matter? The kind of person I am, I have always done things my way and with my head held high. I am proud of who I am, and I am not saying I am infallible, but I have never done things that I would be ashamed of. The kind of industry that I was in (films), it takes a lot to not be dragged into toxicity, backbiting, negativity, gossip and bitching. I have never done all of this, so this (religious conversion news) appalled me the most. I am a Hindu. That’s the religion I have followed, but I believe in Hinduism in a wider sense, not the kind of Hinduism that’s sold to us today.”

Setting the records straight, Urmila shared that she never converted to Islam, adding that she would have announced it publicly. “Even if I had converted to Islam, I would have said it with as much pride. However, it’s none of anyone’s business. I am not just talking about the secular fabric of the country because I am married to a Muslim. Contrary to that, because I always believed in it, I was open enough to marry a man of a different faith,” she ended.

Also Read: This Yesteryear Actor Did Drugs To Shoot A Song Sequence; Reveals ‘My Mother Was Furious…”