Soniya Bansal Supports Sara Ali Khan Amid Kedarnath Visit Controversy, Says ‘Faith Is Deeply Personal’

Actress Soniya Bansal, known for her participation in ‘Bigg Boss 17’, has come out in support of Sara Ali Khan amid the controversy surrounding the latter's recent visit to the Kedarnath temple.

Questioning the criticism directed at Sara over her religious beliefs, Soniya said faith was a deeply personal matter and everyone should have the freedom to seek blessings without being judged. She also stressed that love, humanity and mutual respect should take precedence over religious differences.

Speaking to IANS, Soniya described Sara as a talented actress who follows her heart. She pointed out that Sara had visited Kedarnath several times and had also been part of the film ‘Kedarnath’, which explored themes of faith, love and humanity against the backdrop of the shrine.

“I don't understand why something as personal as seeking blessings has to become a controversy. At the end of the day, she is a human being who wants to pray and find peace, just like anyone else,” Soniya said.

She expressed concern over the tendency to turn personal matters into religious debates and questioned what such criticism teaches the younger generation.

“Are we teaching them to love, accept and respect people, or are we teaching them to see differences first? The world is progressing, and yet we are still caught up in debates about Hindu and Muslim identities. I feel we need to move beyond this mindset,” she said.

Soniya also maintained that places of worship should remain spaces of peace, devotion and acceptance. Whether someone chooses to pray in a temple, mosque or church, she said, their faith and freedom to worship should be respected.

“If someone wants to bow their head in a temple, pray in a mosque or find peace in a church, why should that bother anyone? Every place of worship deserves respect, and every person deserves the freedom to pray. We are all human beings before anything else,” she added.

Reiterating her support for Sara, Soniya said people should be appreciated for their work and character rather than subjected to criticism over their personal religious choices.

“Faith is something deeply personal. Nobody knows what another person is feeling in their heart when they stand before God and ask for blessings,” she said, adding that she hoped society would learn to spread more love and less hatred.

Sara has been at the centre of a debate following her visit to the Kedarnath temple. An Islamic cleric reportedly issued a fatwa over the visit. The actress was seen standing in the queue for darshan on October 25 and was later photographed outside the shrine with folded hands.

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