Jewelry designer Farah Khan Ali has spoken about the social media backlash her family faced after her mother Zarine Khan was cremated according to Hindu customs.

Farah said it was her mother’s wish despite being born into a Parsi family and marrying into a Muslim family.

Zarine Khan, wife of actor Sanjay Khan, died at her Mumbai residence on November 7 last year following an age-related illness. She was 81.

Her children performed her last rites according to Hindu traditions, drawing criticism on social media.

Speaking to Vickey Lalwani, Farah Khan Ali said, “She asked us to cremate her as a Hindu because she wanted her ashes to be immersed in flowing water in Kashmir. She was claustrophobic about being in a grave. So that was one of the reasons she wanted to be cremated, and so we did”.

Recalling the reaction after her mother's death, she said, “It was really sad because when she died there were so many unkind comments on social media, both from Hindus and Muslims, asking why we were cremating her. The Muslims were like, ‘How can you cremate her? She was a Muslim’. And the Hindus were like, ‘How can you cremate her? She was a Muslim’.”

“It was sad because you live in a world... at least I come from a family where we were taught to love all religions and celebrate all festivals. And here, even in death, people were so against each other. This has only happened in the last 10 years in this country, where people have fought against each other over religion,” she added.

Farah Khan Ali said she chose to ignore the criticism.

“I've become the ignoring queen. I can ignore trolls very well. Because, at the end of the day, I think you only have so much time, and you should spend it with people who matter and people you love,” she said.

Summing up her mother's legacy, Farah Khan Ali said, “Born a Parsi, married as a Muslim, and cremated according to Hindu rites, she epitomised humanity. She was the bond that held our family together, and her legacy is something we hope to live by”.

Zarine Khan met Sanjay Khan in the 1960s and married him in 1966. She appeared opposite Dev Anand in the 1963 Hindi film Tere Ghar Ke Samne but later established herself as an interior designer and entrepreneur.

She is survived by her husband Sanjay Khan, daughters Sussanne Khan, Farah Khan Ali and Simone Arora, and son Zayed Khan.