A film director is alleging 'love jihad' after a woman known as the 'viral Kumbh girl' married a Muslim man, sparking controversy and prompting calls for government intervention.
Key Points
- Film director Sanoj Mishra alleges 'love jihad' in the marriage of Monalisa Bhonsle, known as the 'viral Kumbh girl', to a Muslim man.
- Mishra plans to raise the issue with Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, claiming the family believes Monalisa was trapped.
- The family alleges Monalisa is a minor and her age was falsified for passport documents to facilitate the marriage.
- Mishra claims Monalisa was selected for his film 'The Diary of Manipur', which deals with religious conversion, and that he is being targeted for his views.
- Local BJP leader Vikram Patel claims Monalisa was a victim of a conspiracy and is seeking legal advice.
Film director Sanoj Mishra on Sunday met the family of Monalisa Bhonsle, the viral Kumbh girl who recently married a Muslim man in Kerala, and said he would take up the matter with Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.
Calling the wedding 'love jihad', Mishra said he would take up the matter with Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.
Monalisa, who is from Maheshwar town in MP and part of the nomadic Pardhi community, shot to fame after videos of her selling garlands and rudraksha during the 2025 Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj went viral on social media.
She got married to Farman Khan on Wednesday at the Nainar Temple at Arumanoor in Kerala, according to her family.
In the southern state, Monalisa is shooting her Malayalam debut film 'Nagamma', which is being filmed near Thiruvananthapuram.
Director's Concerns and Allegations
Talking to reporters after meeting her parents in Maheshwar, Mishra said he expected the MP government to take the matter seriously and that he was trying to secure an appointment with the chief minister to present the entire sequence of events along with the family.
He claimed the family now realises that it was "a well-planned attempt to trap the girl".
Mishra also alleged that certain organisations fund unemployed youths to target Hindu girls to "defame Sanatan Dharma". Monalisa's wedding is 'love jihad', he said.
The term 'love jihad' is used by right-wing groups to allege a conspiracy by Muslim men to lure Hindu women into relationships and marriage to convert them to Islam.
Mishra claimed that Monalisa had been selected for the lead role in his upcoming film 'The Diary of Manipur', which deals with the issue of religious conversion.
Mishra alleged that he and his "Sanatani ideology" were targeted because of the film and that Monalisa was brainwashed and trapped. The entire episode appears to have been "written and executed like a script", he said.
The filmmaker also questioned why the wedding took place in Kerala. He said the relationship between Monalisa and her husband was being portrayed as an example of communal harmony.
"Had the boy been Hindu and the girl Muslim, would the relationship have been promoted in the same way?" he asked.
Family's Concerns and Claims
During the meeting, Monalisa's grandmother, aunt, younger sister and other family members said they were facing social humiliation due to the incident.
Her uncle Vijay Bhonsle claimed she was born in 2009 and was still a minor. He alleged that her age was increased in documents during the passport process, enabling the marriage to be projected as legal.
Earlier, Monalisa had said the reports of her being underage were "fake and incorrect. "I am 18 years old," she had told the media in Kerala.
A family member alleged that Farhan had earlier addressed Monalisa as his sister.
Local BJP leader Vikram Patel claimed that the girl had fallen victim to a conspiracy in Kerala and said legal experts were being consulted before raising the matter with the chief minister.
Mishra said he would continue to raise the issue until "justice" was served.
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