When Saif Ali Khan became a real-life hero for many

The News Minute| October 15, 2014| 06.40 pm ISTOn Wednesday, two topics were trending across India, Saif Ali Khan and Uniform Civil Code, many might not have realized the connection between

the two.After a movie like Humshakals that tanked brilliantly at the box office, (even Saif said it was a mistake to do that triple role movie that confused a lot of people), the Nawab of

Pataudi has surprised a lot of people with his strong and substantive take on inter-marriages and the overused/misused term ‘Love Jihad’ attributed to many such marriages. Just a few days

after the Meerut love jihad rape case took a dramatic U-turn with the girl leveling allegations on her parents of planning to kill her, the actor took to the newspaper medium to bring to

rest the growing uneasiness amongst people on people marrying their daughters to Muslims and about the necessity to introduce the Uniform Civil Code in the country. The son of the previous

Nawab and cricketer Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi and actress Sharmila Tagore, the actor said in an Indian Express article “ I don’t know what “love jihad” is. It is a complication created in

India. I know intermarriages because I am a child of one and my children are born out of it. Intermarriage is not jihad. Intermarriage is India. India is a mix.”There were varying reactions

on Twitter with lots of discussions on the inclusion of Uniform Civil Code and the actor's take.Intermarriage is not jihad. Intermarriage is INDIA. Ambedkar said the only way to annihilate

caste is intermarriage -Film Star SAIF ALI KHAN— Vishnu Prakash (@AmbVPrakash) October 15, 2014"Intermarriage is not jihad, it is India" says Saif Ali Khan and proposes uniform civil code.

Agree n like his idea! http://t.co/ZSKAXZlcaU— Nirav Shah (@niravonline) October 15, 2014Your logic contradicts your parents and your lifestyle too Mr Saif Ali Khan.Your mom & wife got

converted. #lovejihad Uniform Civil Code— Neha Gupta (@ne_hah) October 15, 2014Khan also spoke out on the seemingly patriarchal Muslim laws that allow men to marry mulitple times and provide

way for quick divorces. He said that there was a need for the religion to modernise, and that the religion is "more unpopular than it has ever been". Where Saif Ali Khan too admits that

Islam needs to modernize in order to be relevant & popular. This part makes sense pic.twitter.com/vt23AZY6IP— गीतिका (@ggiittiikkaa) October 15, 2014Not bad at all. Saif Ali Khan makes sense

here and that's something that most of his movies lack! http://t.co/ZacpH7PFlf via @sharethis— Sumit Rajan (@oldsumit) October 15, 2014India is a country where a lot of excessive importance

and outrage is displayed on issues associated with religion. Even when seemingly straight-cut issues that have no connection with the religion of a person are discussed, religion takes

precedence. Over the growing trend of charges thrown at Muslim men for forcibly marrying and converting Hindu girls, he said that the Special Marriages Act was a way out for

anyone wanting to intermarry without being labeled. “The good news is that no one needs to convert from their religion to get married. The Special Marriage Act, when applicable, is the

paramount law of the land. If you marry under this, it is upheld over any religious law. It is truly secular”I think we should have one law for all Indians, a uniform civil code, and we

should all think of ourselves as one nation. -SAK— Happy New Zakir (@surrealzakir) October 15, 2014The controversy and suspicion on these two religions intermixing will continue to exist for

now. Whether we bring in the Uniform Civil Code or not, the man has gone over and beyond in his stand on the importance given to such issues. Whether he tops or tank in reel life, the Nawab

of Pataudi has done good with his message to people in real life.