Vikrant Massey: Brother Converts to Islam at 17; Actor Reflects on Diverse Religious Upbringing

The diverse family of actor Vikrant Massey includes a Sikh mother, a Christian father, a brother who converted to Islam in his adolescence, a Hindu wife, and Vikrant himself. Vikrant stated in the most recent Unfiltered by Samdish episode that he saw “a lot of arguments” concerning spirituality and religion when he was a child. He mentioned his older brother, saying, “My name is Vikrant, and my brother’s name is Moeen. One may wonder, why Moeen? My family accepted his decision to convert to Islam. “Beta, if you find this satisfying, go ahead and do it.” they said. At seventeen, he underwent a significant life transition. While my father attends church twice a week as a Christian, my mother is Sikh.

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 recently became a father. He is married to Sheetal Thakur. He stated that their aim as a couple is to instill “rationalism” in their child, but he also expressed great respect for certain aspects of “authentically Indian” culture. I do believe in them, particularly in Hindu culture. It doesn’t have to be religious; it’s just based on my cultural background. The majority of people in my country are accustomed to this culture. Since Diwali is only observed in India, I also celebrate it. It’s my childhood memory, my muscle 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.

The last time we saw Vikrant Massey was in the movie 12th Fail. Directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, the movie became the sleeper hit of 2023 and was named one of the year’s highlights.