Aruna Irani recalls mother borrowing money from cousin and actor Bindu’s family to feed them; says they were kept at a distance: ‘We would ask for Rs 50’

When asked if they were ever close as cousins, Aruna candidly shared, “Never. Bindu’s father was a director so they mostly stayed away from us. We never had money growing up, so my mom would again and again go to Bindu’s mother to ask for money to feed me and my siblings. She would ask them for Rs 50 or Rs 10 and she would also send me to ask them for money. And, obviously, they didn’t like that, so there was always this distance between us.”

Aruna also admitted that since both Bindu and she were cast in character roles, it was usually either one of them in a film — which meant they rarely got a chance to meet on set. Both actors became known for playing negative roles, side characters, and performing item songs during the 80s and 90s, making them direct competitors in the same space.

In the same interaction, Aruna recalled an incident involving another veteran actor — Rekha. She claimed Rekha had her removed from a film because she feared Aruna might overshadow her performance. Sharing the memory, she said, “Rekha removed me from a film even though she was a good friend of mine. She still is. But when she took me out of a film called Mangalsutra, I asked the producer, ‘Why did you remove me even after giving me the signing amount?’ He said, ‘Rekha ji never wanted you in the film.’ When I asked Rekha why she did it, she said, ‘Aruna, if you pulled off the role too well emotionally, I’ll start looking like a vamp in the film.’ So she cut me out.”