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Legendary Bollywood actor Zeenat Aman has always been in the public eye, with both her personal and professional lives attracting constant attention from fans and industry insiders alike. Known as Hindi cinema’s ‘original glam diva,’ the 72-year-old faced a failed marriage, and failed relationships.
In 1978, Zeenat Aman’s name was attached to Sanjay Khan, who was already married and had four children. Their relationship ended publicly in 1979 after he allegedly assaulted her. Later, in 1985, she wed actor Mazhar Khan, but their relationship ended more than a decade later and Mazhar passed away in 1998. The marriage was admittedly thorny.
On Monday, the veteran actor took to her Instagram account, reflecting on how her public image has hindered her ability to form “meaningful relationships.” She wrote, “I have not had too many. I didn’t dwell on it when I was younger, but now I have been giving it some thought. There is a saying – it’s lonely at the top. Well, it’s lonely at the bottom too. I have experienced both,” the actor wrote while sharing an old picture of herself.
“In my own private examination of my life, I have realised a crude truth. Meaningful relationships have been difficult to come by because my public persona has always overshadowed my true self. The idea that people have of me has been something of a prison, even while it has been a privilege. With men, their intent was almost always obvious, which was flattering but ultimately shallow. And with women… the nature of society, especially back in those days, forced comparisons that led to envy in one too many cases.”
“What is the measure of a meaningful relationship then? For me it is when there is reciprocity – in celebrating each others successes, enduring the bad times together, being able to speak and receive home truths, and above all, reaching a point where your outward masks (and don’t we all have them?) can be removed. Sadly, I have had limited success in this arena. The silver lining is that it has made me cherish those meaningful relationships I do have all the more,” she noted.
“Perhaps I have bored you with this pontification, but it is followed by this one earnest wish – that each of you finds meaningful relationships, romantic or otherwise, to add brilliance to your lives,” she concluded, extending her best wishes to her fans.
Years ago, during an appearance on the show Rendezvous with Simi Garewal, Aman spoke about her marriage to Mazhar Khan, an actor-director who was less successful than her. “At that time, I was ready for motherhood, more than anything. I felt my biological clock was ticking and I really wanted to have children. And truly that was the chief reason why I got married because I genuinely believe that the only reason to be married is to have a family. And I felt ready for that at that time. And so I did.”
Aman also opened up about Mazhar Khan’s death in 1998 and the events leading up to their separation. She claimed that he had become addicted to prescription drugs and that his death was due to a kidney ailment. She also revealed that she was barred from attending his last rites.
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