Husband's alcoholism, financial crunch: Farah Khan's mother Menka's difficult life
Menka Irani, mother of acclaimed filmmaker-choreographer Farah Khan and director Sajid Khan, passed away in Mumbai on Friday. Despite not being directly involved in the Hindi film industry, her life was significantly influenced by it. She faced numerous challenges, including raising her two children single-handedly without a home or career. Her husband, Kamran, was a stuntman-turned-filmmaker whose career downturn led to financial ruin for the family. We look at her tumultuous life.
Kamran's downfall: A family's descent into financial ruin
Kamran, initially successful in the film industry, began producing only B-grade movies. His most ambitious project, Ilzham (1970), featuring Dara Singh, was a box office failure. Farah has often talked about how Kamran invested his own money into the film which led to financial ruin as his assets were gradually confiscated. This included Menka's jewelry, their gramophone, and two flats in Mumbai. The family was forced to relocate to their smallest flat in Nehru Society, Juhu.
The aftermath: Kamran's alcoholism and Maneka's departure
Unable to cope with the financial downfall, Kamran reportedly turned to alcoholism. Farah once shared that her father would drink from the morning due to his inability to handle failure. She recalled the dread they felt every evening at 7 pm when arguments would start over trivial matters. Farah also mentioned instances of her father brandishing his double-barrel rifle during these arguments. Eventually, Menka decided to leave her alcoholic husband and took her two children with her.
A new chapter: Menka's life with sister Honey Irani
Without a home or career of her own, Menka moved in with her sister Honey Irani, an actor-filmmaker who was also separated from her husband Javed Akhtar at the time. Honey was raising her own children - Farhan Akhtar and Zoya Akhtar. Before finding success as a choreographer in the 1990s, Farah worked as a background dancer to support her family, eventually directing films like Om Shanti Om and Main Hoon Na.
