Tannaz Irani opens up about marrying an older Muslim man, dealing with mom's guilt after divorce, and the age gap between her and Bakhtiyaar Irani

Tannaz Irani, who has been a part of shows like Zabaan Sambhalke and Bigg Boss, and films such as Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai and Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon, recently spoke in detail about her personal life. In an interview with Hauterrfly, the actress spoke about her first marriage, divorce, and the emotional impact it had on both her and her daughter. She also shared details about her love story with Bakhtyaar Irani, their age gap, and becoming a mother again in her 40s. (Photo: Instagram)

My ex-husband's family was never orthodox. I married a Muslim man who was 18 years older than me, and my parents accepted it because they knew I would always follow my heart. They understood that I would never listen if they forced me against something. He was a very sorted person and a wonderful theatre actor. I got married young and later became a mother to my first child, who is now my best friend. (Photo: Instagram)

After 8 years of marriage, I started having the realisation that I want something else in life. I think the age gap slowly started showing over time. When you are in your 20s, you grow a lot as a person and want to explore life. He always gave me space and supported me, but I think I wanted something different at that stage. I wanted to go out, party, and enjoy new experiences, while he was much more mature and had already gone through that phase of life. (Photo: Instagram)

This was the same person I had fought for and married, but later I felt things were not working. Looking back now, I feel I was very immature at that time. I thought that if I wanted to go out and enjoy life, I had to do everything with my husband. He was actually very understanding and progressive. He never stopped me from wearing what I wanted or going where I wanted. His family was also very open-minded. But I think I was too immature then to fully understand that. (Photo: Instagram)

I realised much later that maybe it wasn't easy for my daughter at all. She was small and understood what was happening. Once you break that safety factor for a child, especially as a mother, you've broken it. A daughter's biggest safety factor is her mother - and I broke that. I think maybe I could have handled it better. If I had realised how badly this would affect people, I would never have done it that way. (Photo: Instagram)

My daughter went into a shell and that was her coping mechanism. A lot of mothers ask how long they should allow that silence. My answer is - let them have it. You broke their safe home; now give them space. I started apologising constantly. I would tell her, 'I'm sorry, I didn't know any better.' But don't apologise expecting your child to instantly say, 'It's okay.' That's again making it about yourself. Parents are not gods. They make mistakes too. Sitting like a deity waiting for your child to come back doesn't work. You have to go to them. (Photo: Instagram)

We met on a reality show. He kept pulling my leg. Honestly, I thought he was the worst person on earth at that time. He played a prank on me and even made me cry. I told him, ‘You are such a bad and rude person. I will never talk to you again.’ Later, during Fame Gurukul, he apologised to me many times, but I still didn’t want to speak to him. Slowly, things changed. He used to have a bad sore throat because of singing and coughing constantly, so I started giving him home remedies like turmeric, ginger, and honey. I had no idea that while all this was happening, he was actually falling in love with me. (Photo: Instagram)

Slowly, Bakhtyaar started falling in love with me, even though I was much older than him. That’s how our relationship began. Bakhtiyar had to really fight for me because I was older and also divorced. Naturally, not every family easily accepts such things for their son. But he always stood by me and supported me. Even today, if anyone says anything negative about me, Bakhtiyar is the first person to defend me. He has always fought for me and loved me unconditionally. (Photo: Instagram)

My son Zias was born when I was in my late 30s, but I had my daughter Zara in my 40s. Because of my age, doctors advised me to undergo an amniocentesis test. It is a medical test where a needle is used to collect fluid from the womb to check for conditions like Down syndrome or other health complications in the baby. At that time, I was very scared because after 40, pregnancy risks are higher. I remember going to church with my son Zias, and the entire church prayed for me and my baby. They kept telling me that everything would be fine. (Photo: Instagram)

The test results took time, and I was extremely nervous because if the reports had shown any serious issue, the pregnancy might have been terminated. I didn’t want that because I really wanted Zias to have a sibling. Finally, when we got the reports from the clinic, I opened the envelope with trembling hands, and thankfully everything was normal. There were no complications, and I felt so relieved. (Photo: Instagram)

If you are a Parsi girl, life is quite liberal and independent. In our community, girls are given equal freedom from childhood. They can wear what they want, go where they want, and are treated equally to boys. Navjot is an important Parsi ceremony, similar to a thread ceremony. If you attend an authentic Parsi wedding or Navjot function, you’ll notice how stylishly women dress. In fact, Parsis are quite famous for their fashionable blouses.