Zayed Khan burst onto the Bollywood scene in 2004, quickly winning hearts with popular films like ‘Main Hoon Na’ and ‘Dus’. At that time, he also grabbed media attention by marrying Malaika Parekh, his high school sweetheart whom he had known since 1995.Winning Malaika’s HeartDuring an interview with Siddharth Kannan, Zayed shared the challenges he faced in winning Malaika’s affection. He admitted, “Mujhe lagta hai 2 mahine lage sirf ankh mein ankh milane mein, aur she was a tough girl to woo. Not easy.” Reflecting on his choice to marry young at 25, Zayed acknowledged that it went against the usual industry beliefs, where many thought an actor’s career might suffer after marriage.Facing Industry DoubtsThe actor shared, “You are right about the fact that a lot of people were against me getting married at that time, especially many of the people I had signed films with. They all told me, ‘Your market value will fall, your fan following will drop,’ and so on. So I genuinely called all of them. I stepped back from about 10–15 films I had signed, maybe even 30. Three of the producers told me, ‘No, no, no, you go ahead. We still want you.’”Love at First SightHe described his connection with Malaika as “love at first sight.” He explained, “I’ve never been the kind of guy who wanted a long-term relationship or anything like that. But I saw somebody who was probably meant for me. It was love at first sight. I don’t know what happened to me — I just saw this girl and said, ‘I’m going to marry her.’ Without even talking to her. I just knew it. I don’t know why. I just knew it. I said, ‘This is the person I’m going to marry.’” He acknowledged that this sudden certainty might have been overwhelming for Malaika, who likely wanted to take things slow. The turning point came in 2004 when Malaika’s father passed away from a heart attack. Zayed recounted, “I just went to her house and told her, ‘Pack your bag. You’re coming and staying with me. We’re going to get married.’” He shared his deep affection for her parents and the special bond he had with her father, emphasizing, “This was my girl, man. Nobody could take her away from me.”Handling Fame and Relationship ChallengesKhan emphasized that marrying at a young age was a decision he never regretted, despite the difficulties that came with increased fame and attention from female fans. Reflecting on whether this ever sparked insecurity in his relationship, he responded with candor and compassion for Malaika: “See, being liked by the fan following of ladies, girls and women was a good thing in an actor’s life. How you handle it, that is important. Was it tough? Yeah, very tough. It was tougher for her. Never insecure, I don’t think she is ever insecure. I can sense that she did hold back a lot of things that she probably wanted to tell me, and it’s the nature of the beast, unfortunately. You do get swayed by a lot of things and people. And there could have been mistakes, and it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary.”On Mistakes and the Wedding CeremonyWhen questioned directly about any mistakes he might have made, Zayed responded candidly, “Innocent are those who have not got caught as yet.” He has also revealed the unique nature of his marriage to Malaika. Before their grand wedding celebration, which was attended by thousands, the couple had a private, intimate ceremony. Malaika arranged this secret event to share a special moment with their closest friends and family away from the public eye. In the same interview, Zayed confessed that he was unfamiliar with many Hindu rituals and often depended on Malaika to guide him through the proceedings.
