Vikrant Massey leaves son’s religion column blank: “Not raising him that way”

In an open-hearted chat on Rhea Chakraborty’s podcast, actor Vikrant Massey pulled back the curtain on a deeply personal decision he and wife Sheetal Thakur made for their newborn son, choosing to leave the religion column on his birth certificate blank.

The ’12th Fail’ star shared that while faith holds deep meaning for him, he consciously avoids boxing it into a label.

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“I think religion is a personal choice. For me, it’s a way of life,” Vikrant said, explaining how his own spiritual journey has always been pluralistic. “Mere ghar pe har prakaar ke religion aapko milenge,” he added, referring to the melting pot that is his own family. His father is Christian, mother Sikh, and brother a Muslim convert.

 

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Despite his spiritual leanings, Vikrant Massey is very clear on one thing: he doesn’t want his son to grow up attaching value or judgment to someone based on their religion.

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“I will be so heartbroken if I realise my son is treating anyone on the basis of the practices they follow,” he said. That very sentiment drove the decision to keep the “religion” field on their baby’s birth certificate intentionally blank. “Toh yeh nahi hai ki sarkaar aapko bolti hai likhna padega. (It’s not like the government forces you to fill it). It depends on you.”

Vikrant also opened up about his own multi-faith experiences: offering prayers, visiting gurdwaras, stopping by dargahs.

“I get peace with all of this,” he said. He added that while he doesn’t adhere to a single religion, he is full of gratitude and strongly believes “someone is watching over me.”

However, this openness hasn’t come without backlash. Vikrant admitted that when he shared similar thoughts earlier, he faced criticism on social media, which did affect him.

“It did bother me,” he said, but added that he continues to stand by his beliefs. For him, the decision to keep his son’s faith undefined is a step toward raising a more empathetic and inclusive human being.