Zeenat Aman's social media post about live-in relationships has made her colleagues, Mumtaz and Saira Banu, give strong reactions.
Veteran actor Zeenat Aman’s advocacy for live-in relationships through her Instagram post got a sharp rebuttal from her colleague, actor Mumtaz, who disapproved of her views. Mumtaz even gave Zeenat’s marriage as an example, and called it a ‘living hell’ to prove her point. Now adding to her, Saira Banu has reacted to Zeenat Aman's advice for live-ins, and it is like the three yesteryear actresses are geared up for a war of words.
In an interview with Hindustan Times, Saira Banu was asked to comment on the matter, and she said, “I am not reading much and I don’t really follow what they (Mumtaz and Zeenat) are saying, but we are very old-fashioned people. Our trend is 40-50 saal pehle ka (years ago).”
She further called the concept “unimaginable and unacceptable”, and said, “Iss baat se main toh sehmat nahi ho sakti hu kabhi bhi (I can never agree with this statement). I would never advocate live-in relationships like that. It’s something unimaginable and unacceptable for me.”
In her Instagram post last week, Zeenat had mentioned that she “strongly” recommends that a couple live together before getting married, and stated how she had advised the same to her sons, who were or had been in live-in relationships. “I’m aware that Indian society is a little uptight about ‘living in sin’ but then again, society is uptight about so many things! Log kya kahenge? (What will people say?),” she wrote.
Soon after that, Mumtaz, 76, lashed out at her for her views. In an interview with Zoom, she asked Zeenat Aman to be “careful” and suggested that she’s trying to be a “cool aunty.” Mumtaz said, “She has all of a sudden come into this huge social media popularity, and I can understand her excitement about sounding like a cool aunty. But giving advice that is counter to our moral values is not the solution to increasing your following. Aap Zeenat ko hi le lo misaal ke taur par (Take Zeenat for example). She knew Mazhar Khan for years before marrying him. Her marriage was a living hell. She should be the last person doling out advice on relationships.”
Zeenat Aman, 72, reacted to Mumtaz’s comments, and mentioned how everyone is entitled to their own opinions. “I’ve never been one to comment on others' personal lives or tear down my colleagues, and I’m not going to start now,” she told Hindustan Times.
Zeenat Aman married to actor Sanjay Khan in 1978, but her marriage was annulled a year later. She later married actor Mazhar Khan in 1985, and had two sons with him.