Over a year after hitting headlines for her eyes and looks that many described as breathtaking, Prayagraj Mahakumbh 2025 sensation Monalisa Bhonsle is in the news again over a controversy that her marriage with a man outside her community in Kerala has sparked.
Monalisa, who says she is 18, married a Muslim man – Farman Khan – earlier this month in a wedding ceremony that was solemnised at the Nainar Temple at Arumanoor in Poovar in the presence of Kerala general education minister V Sivankutty, ruling CPI (M) state secretary MV Govindan, Rajya Sabha MP A A Rahim and other prominent leaders of the Marxist party.
What is the controversy over Monalisa’s marriage?
The controversy over Monalisa’s marriage revolves around her family in her native Khargone in Madhya Pradesh which has said she tied the knot against their wishes. Monalisa got married hours after seeking police protection alleging family’s pressure.
The young woman who became an overnight sensation during the Mahakumbh mela on Thursday said that the reports of her being underage were “fake and incorrect”.
Monalisa, from Maheshwar town of Khargone and part of the nomadic Pardhi community, got married to Farman Khan on Wednesday at the Nainar Temple at Arumanoor in Poovar, according to a PTI news agency report, which cited her family members.
Her family said Monalisa and her now-husband had come in contact through Facebook around six months ago.
What Monalisa’s father said
Jaysingh Bhonsle, Monalisa’s father alleged that some individuals came and told the family on March 2 they would help Monalisa get work in films and train her in acting. He said he went to Kerala with her but she married one of those people instead.
“On March 2, some persons from Kerala came and told us they would help my daughter get work in films and train her in acting. I went with her to Kerala. But there she married one of them, Farman Khan. I opposed the move and asked her to return to Maheshwar, but she refused,” PTI quoted Jaysingh Bhonsle.
Bhonsle said he had approached police in Kerala but was told that Monalisa was 18 years old, hence an adult, and was legally free to marry a person of her choice.
Monalisa’s uncle, Vijay Singh Bhonsle, said she turned 18 in January this year, adding that she was lured to Kerala on the pretext of acting chances.
“Some people had lured her to Kerala on the pretext of acting opportunities. We are not very educated and do not understand how all this happened. Perhaps someone has influenced her. The family has little option but to accept her decision,” he said about the marriage, an allegation that Monalisa’s husband appeared to deny on Thursday in a press conference.
‘Not love jihad’
The couple said on Thursday that their marriage was “not a case of love-jihad” as allegedly reported by a section of media, adding that all religions are same for “artists.
According to family members, Monalisa had earlier signed a film titled ‘The Diary of Manipur’ by filmmaker Sanoj Mishra and the money she received was spent on her travel, stay and training.
Monalisa’s cousin Jai Bhonsle said she wanted to open a school in her area. Her grandmother said, “If she wanted to marry, she could have told us. We would have arranged it”.
Mahendra Lodhi of Ujjain, who reportedly had been assisting Monalisa with studies and acting training after her videos went viral, said he had spoken to her after receiving calls from family members.
“She told me that her family wanted to marry her off elsewhere while she had already chosen someone, so she decided to marry him,” Lodhi was quoted as saying. He claimed Monalisa had been staying on rent in Ujjain while receiving training from him and had also signed a Telugu film titled ‘Life’.
Maheshwar police station house officer Jagdish Goyal said the family had contacted him several times regarding her whereabouts.
“I was not aware she was in Kerala earlier. Later we contacted the concerned police station and obtained the location so that the family’s concerns could be addressed,” Goyal said.
Monalisa, eldest of four children, alleged her parents wanted her to marry her paternal aunt’s son, but she opposed the idea. She added her father was upset with her.
