3 min readMumbaiMay 12, 2026 03:46 PM IST
Kishwer Merchant, known for her roles in popular TV shows like Hip Hip Hurray, Ek Hasina Thi, Itna Karo Na Mujhe Pyaar, and, moreover, for her appearance on the reality show Bigg Boss, often finds her personal life under scrutiny on social media, largely due to her interfaith marriage.
‘My son is a big fan of Hanuman Ji’
In a recent conversation with Shaardulogy, she opened up about the apprehension she felt before marrying actor Suyyash Rai. She said, “Initially, I thought it would be a little tough because my dad is someone who prays five times a day, but he accepted Suyyash very nicely. We didn’t have a Muslim wedding or a Hindu wedding, we had a registrar wedding because we felt that, either way, some relatives might be offended.”
Kishwer also spoke about the multicultural upbringing she is giving her son, Nirvair. She shared, “He is a big fan of Hanuman Ji, Shiv Ji, and all of them. He even talks to my father and says, ‘Do you know what…. nanu Hanuman Ji does this and that?’ So my dad listens to these stories too, even though he has never been to a temple himself.”
However, she revealed that social media has not been kind to her son. After Nirvair wore a skull cap, he became a target of trolling. Kishwer expressed, “He wore that cap, and a lot of people were saying, ‘You should teach him to say Assalamualaikum.’ He is Nirvair, and I was like, he is a human first, humanity comes before anything else.”
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‘I thought this relationship couldn’t work’
Kishwer also reflected on the eight-year age gap between her and her husband, saying, “In the beginning, I used to think it was a big problem. First, I thought he was lying about his age, but when I saw his passport and it said 22 years old, I thought, ‘Oh my God, he is really young.’ I was 28 back then. I thought this relationship couldn’t work. We even broke up, but three days later we were back and said, ‘We will make it work,’ and we have made it work beautifully.”
She added, “Although Suyyash’s mother had a few concerns because I’m a Muslim and older, it was natural. But Suyyash was very clear that I am going to be her partner.”
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Kishwer Merchant and Suyyash Rai started dating in 2010 and got married in 2016. In 2021, the couple welcomed their son, whom they named Nirvair.
