Since the mid-1990s, Mini Mathur has remained a recognizable figure in the public sphere. Her career took off as a television host before she found major fame as an MTV VJ, a role she took on after marrying filmmaker Kabir Khan, who was then focused on documentary work. In a recent conversation, Mini opened up about how their interfaith union faced no opposition from either side of the family, even with her father described as “conservative.” She also mentioned that she’s kept her children’s official documents free of any religious declaration.
Mini Mathur on keeping her own name after marriage
Speaking with Hauterrfly, she revealed that she had already married Kabir before joining MTV, calling it “another issue” altogether. She explained, “I was told by certain people saying ‘We didn’t know you were married’. Because I had won the VJ hunt. I never wanted my husband’s name in my passport. I didn’t change my name. My kids shouldn’t have either of the parents’ names. I said if they are writing Khan, then they should write Mathur as well.“Mini also mentioned that she encountered no trouble with local authorities in Mumbai. “BMC never gave me a problem registering their names. The passport office never gave me a problem registering their names. Now, I don’t know what’s happening but I never faced any opposition.”
Mini Mathur on her cultural bond with her parents
On the topic of holding onto her faith, she explained that despite not being religious herself, these practices represent a cultural bond she shares with her parents. “I decided that I will do Karva Chauth and ‘havan’ because that’s how I have grown up. And I have a cultural bond with my parents. I am not a religious person myself, but these are the things I have grown up with. So I talk to my mother on video calls and dress up in a red and green saree like Mathurs do, and I do it for her,” she said.Mini went on to share how her family embraced Kabir without any major resistance. “When I met Kabir… And I am a Mathur girl, conservative Mathur. We were told that marriages happen within the same caste. And I was this good girl because I was ‘allowed’ to work in TV by my very conservative and very loving father, so I was even more careful of my image and what I was doing. So when I met Kabir, I knew that I had to get married to him,” she said.
Mini Mathur recalls her father’s change of heart
She recalled that her father never had issues with her having male friends and always welcomed them into their home. “I always had a lot of male friends and my father never had a problem with that. He said you should have all kinds of friends and he would welcome them all at home. So Kabir would also come home. He would come with stories about Israel and Uzbekistan, and the countries he visited, and the books his father had written. And my father got very impressed. He would say, ‘This boy looks very cultured.’ And he would ask me, ‘You don’t like him?’ I would say, ‘Papa, he is a Muslim. He is Khan’,” she said. Just three days later, however, her father had a change of heart, telling her, “So what if he is Khan? There’s just a difference of ‘na’ in Khan and Khanna. NA is not applicable. Let it be. Let me speak to his mother.”
Mini Mathur on her wedding and raising kids without religion
Looking back on her wedding with Kabir, Mini described it as filled with “joy and excitement. People from both cultures coming together. We had the best time.” Turning to the subject of faith, she added, “Kabir and I both don’t like the religious aspects but we like the cultural aspects.” The couple, who share two children—daughter Sairah and son Vivaan—made a conscious choice about their kids’ religious identity, with Mini revealing, “I have filled all of their forms as either no religion or humanism. And I would say, ‘Why are you asking me?’ And it was accepted’. Our temple has all the gods.” Mini and Kabir have now been married for over two decades.
Kabir Khan’s filmography
Kabir has made a name for himself with films like ‘New York’, ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ and ‘Chandu Champion’ among others.
