In 2020, when actor Sana Khan of Toilet: Ek Prem Katha and Bigg Boss 6-fame announced that she was quitting the film industry, many were surprised. A month after her announcement, she married Muslim cleric and businessman Mufti Anas Saiyad, and the couple now have two children. In a video on Rashami Desai’s YouTube channel, Sana addressed the perception that she was ‘brainwashed’ by her husband into quitting Bollywood.
Sana Khan talks about her ‘top secret’ wedding
Sana told Rashami that she was going through a major life change when she married Anas, who helped her through it. “When our marriage was arranged, it was a top secret. Nobody except my mom and dad even knew the groom’s name. Even when the mehendi artist asked for his name, I didn’t reveal it. I was going through a major change in my life. I was transforming into a whole new person. This is something that I wanted, and he is the one who guided me,” she said.
The former actor then spoke about how people assumed she was ‘brainwashed’ by Anas when they saw her wearing a hijab and quitting Bollywood. “People think, oh she used to roam without a hijab, and suddenly she’s become so this that. So maybe this guy has brainwashed her. It’s never like that; nobody can brainwash you until and unless you don’t want it. I wanted peace. A person might find fame, money and status, but at the end of the day, everyone wants inner peace,” said Sana.
Sana also claimed that she left the film industry because ‘when your surroundings aren’t right, your decisions are often wrong’. She also stated that she values her relationship with her husband a lot now. She also spoke of how Anas and his family covered most of the wedding expenses, unlike the norm.
When Sana Khan quit the film industry
In 2019, Sana publicly acknowledged her relationship with choreographer Melvin Louis. Early in 2020, she claimed that she broke up with him due to infidelity. In March 2020, she told Pinkvilla, “This guy was abusive. Of course, domestic violence was there; he had beaten me up. I have bruises, and I can show conversations where he apologised.” She also alleged that Melvin had assaulted other women, too.
In October 2020, Sana announced on her Instagram that she was quitting Bollywood. “I declare that from today onwards, I have resolved to say goodbye to my showbiz lifestyle forever and serve humanity and follow the orders of my Creator,” she wrote. In November 2020, she married Anas in a close-knit wedding in Surat. The couple has two children, Saiyad Tariq Jamil and Saiyad Hasan Jamil.
