One of the highest-paid actress of Bollywood in the 80s was penniless after husband's death and had to do several 'odd jobs' to feed her family

She was one of the highest-paid actresses in the late 1970s and early ‘80s. Highly sought after for her sensuous beauty as well as acting chops, Zeenat Aman emerged as one of the most celebrated ‘sex symbols’ of Bollywood and is today remembered as the face behind many timeless songs such as ‘ Chura Liya Hai Tumne’ and ‘Dum Maro Dum.’

However, when her stars dimmed, she found herself doing several “odd jobs” to survive.

A Tumultuous Marriage

At the height of her fame, Zeenat bid adieu to stardom and tied the knot with Mazhar Khan, an actor, producer, and director, in 1985. In a candid chat with Simi Garewal in her talk show ‘ Rendezvous With Simi Garewal,’ Zeenat revealed that at that point in her life, she was desperate to be a mother, and hence, she tied the knot with Mazhar, against the wishes of her family.

This marriage, too, yielded its own set of problems. Mazhar allegedly struggled with insecurity. “There was always an element of his wanting me to disconnect from the outside world and keep me at home with the kids,” she told Garewal.

Opening up about that chapter of her life, Zeenat recalled that soon after the first year of her marriage, she realised it was a “mistake.” But as she had married against her family’s wishes, she decided to stay back and make the marriage work. She admitted that the period was “difficult,” as there were several rumours of him committing infidelity, and she came across an article of him and another woman in Stardust magazine.

When Zeenat’s younger son reached the age of five, she planned to return to her professional life. However, her aspirations came to a halt when her husband, Mazhar, became severely unwell. For the next five years, she devoted herself entirely to his care. She sought treatment from numerous hospitals across Mumbai and personally took on the role of caregiver.

Though Mazhar eventually regained his health, a new ordeal began when he grew dependent on prescribed medication. This struggle pushed Zeenat beyond her limits.

Following Mazhar’s death, her challenges continued. Her in-laws took control of his assets, leaving her with nothing, and even estranged her children from her. To add to the pain, she was not permitted to attend his final rites or offer a last goodbye.

When She Had To Resort To Odd Jobs

After Mazhar’s death, she was left with nothing. As acting offers had dried up, she had to take up odd jobs to sustain her family. She reminisced about this dark period through an emotional Instagram post in 2024. She admitted that during that phase, she was a “has-been” and took up any work that came her way.

From event appearances to teaching poise and etiquette to writing agony aunt columns and other odd jobs, she did it all. “Those were the years I took pretty much any work that came my way. It was bone-rattling drives to nondescript towns for event appearances, accommodation at no-star hotels with filthy sheets, trite renditions of ‘ c hura liya’ in smelly halls, poorly drafted scripts that pushed me to the edge of sanity…” she revealed.

Zeenat made her acting comeback through the Netflix romantic drama ‘The Royals,’ which also starred Ishan Khattar and Bhumi Pednekar.