Rizwan is openly gay, having come out to his traditional Muslim parents at the age of 24.. In 2014 he appeared alongside his mother, Shahnaz, in a YouTube video which resulted in his mother gaining the attention of Bollywood and eventually landing a role in the Indian television series "Yeh Hai Mohabbatein (This Is Love)". Mawaan's brother, Nabhaan, also followed the family into a career in acting with his debut in BBC drama series "Informer".