Actor Imran Khan has been in a relationship with Lekha Washington for quite some time now. The couple has made multiple public appearances and have never shied away from talking about their relationship. They were last seen together at the premiere of the film Happy Patel: Khatarnaak Jasoos, in which Khan made a cameo, marking his comeback to the movies. However, Lekha faced social media trolling for her interfaith relationship with Imran Khan. Some even termed it as ‘love jihad’.
Lekha Washington on love jihad comments
On her social media handle, Lekha shared a video addressing the trolling and the ‘love jihad’ comments. She said, “Love Jihad – apparently it is being done to me, a part Burmese, Italian, Punjabi, raised in south India, moved to north India with a dad who`s Roman Catholic but agnostic persona (is being love-jihaded by) a guy whose father is part Hindu, part Scottish and a mom who is Muslim. So I am like, ‘Do Na Love Jihad,’ and I say, ‘No, no. Instead, I make lights’.”
In an interview with Moneycontrol, Lekha spoke about her video and the trolling. “Videos of me being used to fuel hate and division are the exact opposite of what I stand for. It’s important to deal with this with humour, in my opinion, and quite literally make light of the ridiculousness of it all,” she said.
She was further asked about the comments on her interfaith relationship with Imran. To this, she said, “My own family is open, multi-hyphenate and respectful of all, as is my partner’s family. I get to witness how multicultural, expansive, kind, creative and inclusive people beautifully support each other. How lucky am I? I am deeply humbled by the awesomeness of the folks around me.”
Washington further said that what troubles her more than the trolling is being defined as the partner of a famous actor, overshadowing her long and independent career.
Imran Khan on Lekha
In an interview with NDTV, Imran spoke about Lekha, saying, “To be loved by someone truly gives you strength and heals you. To give love truthfully and selflessly to another also is empowering and healing. And I have found this, between my daughter and my partner Lekha, to give and to receive love. It has been absolutely crucial to my healing and to my own growth and well-being.”
