New Delhi: Activist Umar Khalid played cupid in actor Swara Bhasker and politician Fahad Ahmad’s love story. Speaking about their relationship on The Midnight Hour podcast, Ahmad said Khalid, a close friend, gave him Bhasker’s phone number and encouraged him to call her.
“Umar Khalid, he is a very good friend of mine. So he told me, ‘I’m sending you Swara’s number, you just call her’,” Ahmad recalled.
Bhasker also credited Khalid with introducing the couple. “He was our cupid. He was the person who connected us,” the actress said.
Taking his friend’s advice, Ahmad called Bhasker. He joked that even after three years of marriage, getting her to answer his calls remains a challenge. But on that occasion, she picked up within a few rings.
Bhasker explained that she normally does not answer calls from unlisted numbers, but the circumstances were different. At the time, she was actively involved in protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and was in touch with people participating in the movement.
“I do not answer calls from unlisted numbers normally, but at that time, because it was a movement and for solidarity I did answer, or maybe texted, and I replied, and we spoke,” she said. Ahmad then invited her to a protest scheduled for the 19th.
The two had already crossed paths at anti-CAA protests. Their first selfie together was also taken at one of the rallies. In February 2023, Bhasker revealed that the “mystery man” she had previously mentioned in a social media post was Ahmad.
The couple submitted their marriage documents in January 2023 and registered their marriage under the Special Marriage Act on February 16, 2023.