3 min readMumbaiJun 18, 2026 10:18 AM IST
Zeenat Aman, known for films like Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Satyam Shivam Sundaram and Don, among several other notable titles, has recently spoken about her Hindu name, Laliteshwari, that she got from her Hindu mother. Zeenat shared that her father was a Muslim man, but she largely grew up with her mother as they separated when she was just 5-years-old.
‘My name was Laliteshwari’
In a conversation with News18, she spoke about her parents, saying, “My parents separated when I was very young, so I was with my mother.” Speaking about her late father Amanullah Khan, a screenwriter who wrote classics like Mughal-e-Azam and Pakeezah under the name ‘Aman’, she added that he had named her, Zeenat Aman. She said, “The name ‘Zeenat Aman’ came from my father’s side. From my mother’s side, my name was Laliteshwari.”
Talking about her mother, she shared, “My mother’s name was Vardhini. She was a very devout Hindu woman. She would spend two to three hours every day in prayer, and I was raised by her.” When asked if Zeenat is a religious person, she responded, “No.” Explaining her perspective, she said, “I have seen very closely that my mother was Hindu, my father was Muslim, and my children’s father is Muslim. I studied in a Catholic school, and at a very young age I had a very international exposure.”
She further added, “My stepfather is German, a blonde, green-eyed German. So my exposure has been towards the whole world, I was exposed to the global way of life. So I never thought that I should adhere to any one religion. I believe that all religions are good. No religion tells you that you should do something wrong or that you should not be human. I believe in humanity, in kindness, in peace, in equality, and in love for all people and animals. To me that is my religion.”
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Troubled Marriage with Mazhar Khan
In an earlier interview with Simi Garewal, Zeenat Aman had also spoken about the difficulties in her marriage to Mazhar Khan. “What had happened with Mazhar is that he had stopped helping himself… Whatever he was doing, he was inflicting further damage on himself, and I couldn’t stay there and watch him do that. What really happened is that he became addicted to prescription drugs, painkillers. He was at a point taking seven a day and the doctor had said that there was a good possibility that his kidneys would pack up. The children would request him, I would request him, we would tell him don’t do it but he didn’t.”
She also revealed the emotional aftermath of leaving the marriage, saying, “Every penny he possibly had has been taken by his mother and sister. There is nothing. They wanted to punish me for leaving Mazhar and didn’t even allow me to pay my last respects to him.”
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Zeenat Aman married actor-director Mazhar Khan in 1985, with whom she had two sons, Azaan and Zahaan. Mazhar Khan passed away in 1998 due to kidney failure.
Zeenat Aman spoke about her multifaceted upbringing
(Photo: Zeenat Aman, Instagram)