"She gave up her own work to be my manager": Zeenat Aman recalls mother's sacrifices for her acting career

Apr 23, 2024

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 23 : Veteran actor Zeenat Aman recalled her mother's sacrifices and shared beautiful throwback pictures of her parents.
Taking to her Instagram handle, she posted two pictures of her mother-one with her father, Amanullah Khan, and her German stepfather, Uncle Heinz. She expressed gratitude towards her mother for making life better and helping the actor in her career.
Conveying her thanks to the person who sent her these pictures, she wrote, "Every Sunday, a dedicated well-wisher sends me old photographs from their archive. Zeenat Aman memorabilia if you please. This Sunday he sent me these two images of my mother, pictured respectively with my father Amanullah Khan and my German stepfather Uncle Heinz."
Recalling her mother and the way she helped 'Don' star in education and professional growth, she added, "There has been no more extraordinary woman in the world than my Ma. She was my safe harbour. She was a woman ahead of the curve. She was gracious, beautiful and whip smart."
Sharing how her parents separated and how her mother became a "working woman", she mentioned, "After she and my father separated in the 50s, she taught herself business and became a working woman. She sent me to the best of boarding schools and never missed a visit, whence she would come laden with parcels of tuck. When I made up my mind to pursue a career in acting, she gave up her own work to be my manager. She negotiated my contracts, invested my earnings, packed my tiffins, ran my lines, inspired my style, and bolstered my confidence to the nth degree. All this while maintaining her own exciting social life within the expat community in Mumbai."
She added, "Mummy never thought any man was worthy of me ( she was onto something there), and it was the only matter that we ever locked horns on. Even then, if I were ever low, I would crawl into her bed in our apartment off Nepean Sea Road, lay by her side and hold her hand. No words would be spoken, but my turmoil would settle and I would feel secure."
Recalling how she "broke " her mother's heart, she shared, "It's true that I broke her heart a little when I eloped, but it mended with the birth of my first son, who shares a birthday with her. When ma died in 1995, I felt as though a veil of protection was snatched off my shoulders. These pictures are all the more precious to me now that I can only return to her safe harbour in my memories."
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Zeenat Aman became a household name during the 70s and 80s after bagging the title Miss Asia Pacific International pageant in 1970, is known for her bold personality, and was one of the actors who set the fashion trend with her satirical choices.
Zeenat has given several hits such as 'Satyam Shivam Sundaram', 'Don', 'Yaadon ki Baraat', 'Hare Rama Hare Krishna', 'Qurbani, Dostana', 'Dharam Veer', among others.