Zaheer Iqbal’s mother welcomes Sonakshi Sinha as daughter: “You have given us so much love and respect”

• Sonakshi Sinha and Zaheer Iqbal married on June 23 in an intimate ceremony, followed by a grand reception.
• Zaheer's mother expressed her happiness, calling Sonakshi their daughter and praising her for her love and respect.
• The couple shared their initial elopement plan and the positive reaction from Sonakshi’s father when they informed him about their relationship.

Actors Sonakshi Sinha and Zaheer Iqbal tied the knot on June 23 in an intimate civil marriage ceremony at her residence in Mumbai, followed by a star-studded reception. In a recent interview with Galatta India, the couple was surprised with an audio clip of Zaheer Iqbal's parents expressing their heartfelt emotions about Sonakshi. Zaheer's mother warmly welcomed Sonakshi into their family, stating, "Hey Sona (Sonakshi)! Just wanted to tell you how happy and blessed we are to have you as our daughter now.

Seeing you and Zaheer so happy together makes us feel that you are truly meant to be. You have a heart of 'asli sona (real gold)' only. You have given us so much love and respect; and I cannot think of anyone better for Zaheer." Zaheer's father added his blessings, saying, “God bless both of you all, love you, take care, be happy always.”

During the interview, Zaheer shared his initial wedding plans, revealing, "I wanted to elope.... just bounce to the country and go somewhere, get married, and come back; but I got to know that wedding is not valid in India... like you can't go to Las Vegas and get married, it is not allowed." Sonakshi added, "So that plan was cancelled; and I always wanted a very intimate wedding. And he (Zaheer) is okay as long as his most important people are there, which is our friends and family that were present at the signing."

The couple’s grand reception at Mumbai’s Bastian saw prominent attendees like filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali and actor Kajol. In a joint interview with ETimes, the couple also shared their nervousness when informing Sonakshi’s father, Shatrughan Sinha, about their relationship, which ended up being a positive and friendly discussion.