Zeenat Aman reveals truth behind her surname, shares throwback photo with her father

Veteran actress Zeenat Aman remembered her father Amanullah Khan on the occasion of Father's Day. The Satyam Shivam Sundaram actress shared the story of how her parents met, tied the knot, and later separated after her birth. She also took a trip down memory lane and explained how she got her surname.

3 things you need to know

• Zeenat Aman's father Amanullah Khan had worked in the popular Indian films Pakeezah and Mughal-E-Azam.
• The veteran actress's father passed away at an early age of 41.
• Zeenat Aman will make her OTT debut with the series Showsttopper.

Zeenat Aman narrates her parents' love story

Zeenat Aman did not shy away from expressing her emotions on Father's Day and talked about how her father came to Mumbai, with his cousin Al Nasir, in search of fame and  fortune in the entertainment industry. Fate brought her father Amanullah Khan, and her mother Vardhini Scindia, together at a party. The two of them felt an instant connection, and the couple tied the knot despite disapproval from their respective families. 

(Zeenat Aman shares a throwback photo with her father. | Image: Zeenat Aman/ Instagram)

"She was a practicing Hindu and he came from a strong Muslim family," wrote the actress. Zeenat Aman further opened up about how her parents separated for a few years after she was born. "I stayed with my mother, and my father moved into a sprawling bungalow on Mount Mary Hill in Bandra," wrote the actress.  

Zeenat Aman recalls how writers rarely got their dues, reveals truth behind her surname

Zeenat Aman shared that her father, well-known as Aman Sahab, came from royal stock and his mother was first cousins with His Highness Nawab Hamidullah Khan, the last ruler of Bhopal. He had a brief acting career and worked on the dialogues and screenplays of films such as Pakeezah. "Though he was enormously talented and respected as a writer, I don't feel he ever got his just dues. I suppose writers rarely do," wrote the actress as she revealed how writers rarely got their dues.

(Zeenat Aman shares a candid picture of herself. | Image: Zeenat Aman/Instagram)

The actress also mentioned that her father passed away at the early age of 41, while she was at school. She further expressed her desire to publish a book of Urdu poetry written by her father. The veteran actress concluded by saying that she was the one who decided to choose her father's name as her own.

Zeenat Aman shares her fondest memories with her father

Zeenat Aman narrated that she and her father would go on long walks and he would treat her with ice cream. "He would tell me stories and would recite Urdu poems, some of which he made up, especially for me. He would also write beautiful letters in English to my mother and I," the actress recalled as she spoke about her father. 

Zeenat Aman was one of the most talked about leading actress in the seventies. The actress is known for her films Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1971), Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973) and Don (1978) among others. She recently made her Instagram debut.