Ace choreographer and director, Farah Khan's mother, Menaka Irani passed at the age of 79 due to a prolonged illness. Here's everything you need to know about her turbulent married life.
Farah Khan is one of the most successful choreographers, film producers, and filmmakers in Bollywood. Her brother, Sajid Khan is also a renowned television presenter, film director, and comedian, who is a pivotal figure in the Hindi film industry. Farah and Sajid are quite successful and famous in their respective careers. However, not everyone is aware of the fact that they built their place in the industry from scratch, despite being children of a renowned filmmaker.
Yes! You read it right. Farah Khan and Sajid Khan are children of famous stuntman-turned-filmmaker, Kamran Khan. For the uninitiated, Kamran Khan initially worked as a stuntman in the Hindi film industry for many years. However, soon, he fell in love with direction and started directing films. After making a few Hindi films, Kamran started directing B-grade films but failed in the same.
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Unfortunately, in 1970, Kamran Khan made a film titled Ilzham, in which he casted Dara Singh as the main lead. The film flopped at the box office, resulting in a massive financial loss for Kamran. It was a tragic phase for Kamran and his family, as they had to sell things in order to get rid of the heavy financial losses. At the time when Kamran was at his lowest, his wife, Menaka Irani stepped up and helped her husband overcome the difficult phase.
Kamran Khan sold his wife, Menaka Irani's jewellery, a gramophone, and two flats in Mumbai to pay off the debts. The family also shifted to a small flat in Juhu's Nehru Society, where they lived for many years. After selling most of their prized possessions and living a below-moderate life in Juhu, Kamran stopped working and became an alcoholic. The filmmaker couldn't handle his film, Ilzham's failure and was unable to save his married life.
In a conversation on Bharti TV, Farah Khan opened up about her father, Kamran Khan's alcoholism and recalled the traumatic time when she and her brother, Sajid Khan used to prepare themselves for their parents' fights. The ace filmmaker revealed that her father used to fight with her mother on anything. Not only this, Farah also added that her father used to take out his double-barrel rifle and used to make a hole in the mirror. Recalling the hard times, Farah said:
"When the clock used to strike 7 pm, we'd feel dread inside. Then the arguments would begin on any topic, even something as small as less salt in the dal. We used to get traumatised. Now, we laugh at that, how our father used to do that, how he (Sajid) would hide under the bed. Sometimes, he'd take out his double barrel rifle, and if that caused a hole in the mirror, then the hole would remain there for years because we didn't have the money to get it repaired."
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After a series of fights and arguments, when Kamran Khan wasn't controlling his alcoholism despite his wife, Menaka Irani's multiple warnings, the latter left him. It wasn't an easy decision for Menaka as she didn't have a job to raise her kids, but she still parted ways from her husband in order to give her children a better environment. Once, in an old interview with NDTV, Farah Khan credited her mother, Menaka Irani for raising her and Sajid Khan in the best way possible. The doting daughter thanked her mother for all the hardships she went through in order to give them a good life. She said:
"I know I don't say it often that I love you. If you were not in my life, if you were not the kind of person that you are, then Sajid and I would be different people. I know the hardships you have gone through to make sure that we were educated properly; that was important for us."
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For the uninitiated, Farah Khan and Sajid Khan's mother, Menaka Irani and Zoya Akhtar and Farhan Akhtar's mother, Honey Irani are sisters. Unlike Menaka, her sister, Honey worked as an actress in the film industry. After parting ways with her husband, Kamran Khan, Menaka Irani went straight to her sister, Honey Irani in order to seek help. The doting sister wasted no time supporting Menaka on her journey to raise Farah Khan and Sajid Khan, on her own.
Just like Menaka Irani, her sister, Honey Irani was also separated from her ex-husband and iconic screenwriter, Javed Akhtar. For the uninitiated, Honey and Javed got married in 1972 and parted ways in 1985. The couple welcomed two kids, Farhan Akhtar and Zoya Akhtar. It's fair to say that Honey played a vital role in her sister, Menaka Irani's life, as she helped her at a time when both her kids, Farah and Sajid were too young.
Both Farah Khan and Sajid Khan are successful in their respective professions, and all the credit for their success belongs to their mother, Menaka Irani. For the unversed, it was on July 26, 2024, when Menaka passed away at the age of 79 due to a prolonged illness. Several celebrities gathered at Farah's house in order to pay their last respect to the choreographer's mother.
It's incredible how Menaka Irani raised Farah Khan and Sajid Khan as a single mother. We hope she's in a better place now and is not in pain. What are your thoughts on her life? Let us know.
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