Veteran star Zeenat Aman has aced the social media game like no one else! The actress uses the platform to connect with her large fan base and share anecdotes from her life. The ‘Qurbani’ actress has never shied away from sharing the trials and tribulations of her life. At the zenith of her career, the actress married Mazhar Khan in 1985 and stepped away from the limelight. However, Zeenat discovered her husband was cheating on her within the first year of their marriage. While the actress wanted to leave him, she decided to stay for the sake of her sons and endured his infidelity for 12 years.
During an old interview with Simi Garewal, the veteran star revealed her matrimonial predicament. She disclosed, “The first year after marriage, I realised I had made a mistake but since I had made the decision and done it against everybody’s will, I decided to live by it and make it work. I’m not necessarily saying that it was the best thing for him either. It was a difficult time since the first year because I was pregnant with my first child and Mazhar was not there. There was a big article in Stardust magazine at that time about the woman that Mazhar was seeing. It’s reality.”
Continuing further, Zeenat revealed, “As soon as my son was born, I wanted out and we discussed it but I thought my child deserved a chance and I stayed. But I didn’t just stay, I did everything possible to make it work. I thought about getting into the work force when my younger son was 5 years old but right before that Mazhar fell grievously ill. I spent 5 years battling for his health and his life and they were very difficult years.”
Getting candid, the actress stated how she did everything in her power to help her husband battle his health predicaments. “I tried to do everything under the sun. We were in and out of every hospital in Mumbai. I learned how to give injections, to do dressing, was living with a bag outside his body for 18 months, I learned how to change that bag. I did everything there was to do.” She added, “I flew overseas and found the best doctor. When that thing was over and the problem was sorted, it had taken a toll on me. I was very close to a nervous breakdown.”
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As she disclosed her trials, the ‘Yaadon Ki Baaraat’ talked about her breaking point and how battling everything alone took a toll on her. “You give and give until you completely run out and there is nothing to give. And at the end of it, you want someone to ask, ‘How are you today?’ But I never had that for 12 years.” Aman further revealed that following his treatment, Mazhar became addicted to prescription drugs that damaged his kidneys. This was the saturation point for Aman.
Zeenat Aman stated, “He had stopped helping himself and was inflicting further damage on himself. I couldn’t stay there and watch him do that. He was taking seven painkillers a day. I and the children would request him. In the end, his kidneys did pack up and this was after I had opted out. When I left, I still cared,” she said. She added, “I have no guilt because I am sure 99 percent women wouldn’t have lasted as long and as honestly as I did.”