Lekha Washington on interfaith relationship with Imran Khan being labelled ‘Love Jihad’: 'My family is open, so is my partner’s'

Actress and artist Lekha Washington has addressed online trolling around her relationship with Bollywood actor Imran Khan, saying attempts to weaponise her images to “fuel hate and division” go against everything she believes in.In a recent interaction with Moneycontrol, Washington explained why she responded with satire after some social media users labelled her interfaith relationship through the controversial lens of “Love Jihad.” “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 humor, in my opinion, quite literally, make light of the ridiculousness of it all,” she said.Lekha had posted a light-hearted yet pointed video addressing the trolling, joking about her own multicultural background and that of her partner. “Love Jihad—apparently it is being done to me,” she quipped in the clip, highlighting the absurdity of the narrative.Public attention around her relationship intensified after she was seen supporting Imran Khan during promotions and the premiere of his recent cameo in 'Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos.' Imran, nephew of Aamir Khan, returned to the big screen after a gap of 11-years.Addressing comments around their interfaith equation, Lekha said she feels fortunate to be surrounded by open-minded families.“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,” she said.Beyond trolling, Lekha pointed to a deeper issue — being defined primarily by her association with a famous actor despite a long and independent career.“To reduce any woman to the nearest man is a limiting part of the society we function in. I have had a decade as a lead actor and walked away from that when I found the misogyny to be excessive. I spent another decade setting up and running a successful art practice so that I may have complete financial and intellectual freedom. The people will catch up,” she said. Reflecting on the persistence of online remarks, Lekha maintained that negativity reveals more about critics than the person targeted.“When other people say nasty, reductive things to you, it says a lot more about them than it does you. We live in a world where women are first judged by appearance and only much later by their own personhood. I will continue to be the best me I can be, doing the best work I can do. Haters are going to hate, lovers have to love,” she concluded. For the uninitiated, Imran Khan was previously married to Avantika Malik and is a father to a daughter.