Swara Bhasker, Fahad Ahmad reveal how Umar Khalid played cupid in their love story: ‘Just call her'

Bollywood actor Swara Bhasker and her husband, politician Fahad Ahmad, recently spoke about their love story and revealed that former student leader and activist Umar Khalid played cupid for them.

In an interaction on The Midnight Hour podcast, Fahad shared that Umar encouraged him to call Swara, which eventually led to the start of their relationship. He said, “Umar Khalid, he's a very good friend of mine. So he told me, ‘I'm sending you Swara's number, you just call her’.”

Swara credited Umar for bringing them together, calling him their “cupid” and the person who connected them. Ahmad said he took Umar’s advice and called Bhasker. He also joked that Swara does not pick up calls on time and that even after three years of marriage, getting her to answer his calls remains a challenge. However, he said that on that particular occasion, Swara picked up the phone within a few rings.

Bhasker, on the other hand, explained that she normally does not answer calls from unlisted numbers. However, at the time, she was involved in protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and was in touch with people participating in the movement. She decided to answer the call from the unknown number, which happened to be Fahad’s.

“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 later invited Swara to a protest. Their paths crossed again during another anti-CAA protest. During the interaction, Fahad shared that they stayed friends for three years, but they started talking about a relationship and eventually got married.

For the unversed, Umar Khalid is a former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student leader and activist who has been in Tihar Jail since his arrest in 2020 in alleged connection with the Delhi riots conspiracy case.

Earlier, speaking to Hauterrfly, Swara was asked in a rapid-fire round if she had faced any problems in her interfaith marriage. She replied, “No problem.” She added, “I have discovered that when you are a good person, and an honest person… That’s the most important thing; all the other differences are...My realisation of love with Fahad specifically was the realisation that I am safe with this person. And that he will never hurt me and he will never betray me.”

Swara and Fahad tied the knot in 2023 under the Special Marriage Act. Later, they hosted their grand wedding reception in Delhi on March 16, 2023. Swara announced her pregnancy in June 2023, a few months after marrying politician Fahad Ahmad.

Vibha Maru is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times Entertainment, based in Delhi. With a decade of experience across digital and print media, she covers Bollywood, Hollywood and web shows. A self-confessed cinephile who breathes Hindi cinema, Vibha can often be found sacrificing sleep after binge-watching films and web series. Though she holds a Commerce degree, she discovered her true calling in journalism after enrolling at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC).