Vikrant Massey, who recently welcomed his first child with wife Sheetal Thakur, said that their goal as a couple would be to teach their baby boy “rationalism.”
Actor Vikrant Massey has given an insight into his diverse family: A Sikh mother, a Christian father, a brother who converted to Islam in his teens, a Hindu wife, and Vikrant himself. In the latest episode of Unfiltered by Samdish, Vikrant said that growing up, he witnessed a ‘lot of arguments’ related to religion and spirituality.
Mentioning his elder brother, he said, “My brother’s name is Moeen, I am called Vikrant. You’d wonder why the name Moeen? He converted to Islam, and my family let him change his religion. They said, ‘Beta, if you find satisfaction in this, then go ahead.’ He converted at the age of 17, it is a big step. My mother is Sikhni, my father is church-going Christian, he goes to church twice a week. From a young age, I have seen a lot of arguments related to religion and spirituality.”
Vikrant continued, “My father was questioned by my extended relatives about how he could ‘allow’ that (brother’s conversion). He said that was none of their business. ‘He is my son, he is only answerable to me and has all the rights to choose what he wants.’ After seeing this, I went on my own quest, wondering what exactly is religion. It is man made.”
The actor, who is married to Sheetal Thakur, recently became a father. He said that their goal as a couple would be to teach their baby boy “rationalism,” but there are certain things which are “authentically Indian,” which he respects a lot.
“Especially in the Hindu culture, I do believe in them. It is only because of my cultural affiliation; it doesn’t need to be religious. This is the culture of the majority of people in my country. Diwali is celebrated only in India, so I celebrate it as well. It is my muscle memory, my childhood memory.
“It need not be religious. I don’t believe that if I do Laxmi Puja then I will be blessed with wealth. I do it because I grew up witnessing it, and it is now my lifestyle. My father would do it. He goes to church twice a week, but he also does puja with my mother and my wife. So, it is a beautiful house,” he added.
While growing up, Massey witnessed different arguments on religion and spirituality within his family. As a result of these experiences, Massey began to question the nature of religion and believes that it is created by humans. Despite this, he still respects Hindu traditions due to cultural affiliation but does not view them as strictly religious. He celebrates festivals like Diwali as part of his cultural memory rather than as a religious obligation.
Vikrant Massey was last seen in the film 12th Fail. The Vidhu Vinod Chopra directorial emerged as the sleeper hit of 2023 and was rated as one of the best films of last year.
