Veteran actress, Aruna Irani is one of the most versatile actresses of the ’80s and ’90s. Over the years, she has worked in over 500 films, which included some of the most popular Hindi movies of all time. Aruna’s life was never a bed of roses as she came from a poor family and had to work hard to make ends meet.
Born to an Iranian father and a Hindu mother, Aruna gave up her studies in class sixth due to financial constraints. She started her career as a child actress and gained recognition with films like Farz, Bobby, Sargam, Love Story, Rocky and a few others. Later when she stopped getting pivotal roles, Aruna switched to motherly roles.
Throughout her flourishing career, Aruna’s name has been linked with many leading men in the industry. And one of them was comedian Mehmood, who was more than a friend to her. The rumours of their affair and subsequent marriage became a reason for her failed career.
Aruna Irani was asked to impress Mehmood to get work
When Aruna Irani entered the film industry, she didn’t get much work, and it was Mehmood, who signed up. He also started referring her name to many other filmmakers and an indebted Aruna couldn’t help but fall in love with him. In an interview with Lehren Retro, Aruna revealed how she was asked to impress Mehmood to get work.
Aruna was told early that if she wanted to survive in the long run, then she had to woo Mehmood. In the process of impressing Mehmood, Aruna fell in love with him. In her words:
“Dance director Suresh Bhatt told me ‘tu Mehmood ko ghaas dal, only he can get you work.’ But there also I kept saying yes and no to Mehmood. Still, he started giving me work even on that basis, and slowly, I developed a soft corner for him. Through him, I saw money, fame, name, and I thought, ‘Mein kab tak iss aadmi ko bewkoof banaugi.'”
Mehmood’s wife asked him to stop working with Aruna Irani
Gradually Aruna Irani fell in love with Mehmood, who was already a married man at that time. The actress once revealed that because of Mehmood’s marital status, they could not culminate their love for one another, but they were more than friends. Soon, the news of their affair reached the ears of Mehmood’s wife, and she asked him to stop working with her. In a throwback interview with Zoom, Aruna revealed Mehmood telling her:
“Bahut jhagde ho rahe hai, isliye hum kaam nahi kar skte.”
Aruna Irani revealed Mehmood ruined her career
It was Mehmood, who gave Aruna many opportunities in cinema. He even referred her name to other filmmakers and she even labelled him as her Guru. However, when the rumours of their marriage surfaced in the media, Mehmood didn’t care to clarify it, and Aruna lost a lot of projects because of the same. Narrating an incident, Aruna revealed:
“Vinod Khanna asked Mehmood if I can play his heroine in a film. He asked Mehmood if we both have been married. Mehmood just looked at me and smiled and didn’t say anything. So he made my career also and ruined it also.”
What do you think about Aruna Irani’s closeness with Mehmood? Let us know.
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