Aruna Irani Reflects on a Difficult Past: Survival, Sacrifice, and a Complicated Bond with Mehmood

Veteran actor Aruna Irani has spoken candidly about her early years in the Hindi film industry, opening up about the challenges she faced, the compromises she made, and her past relationship with late actor-comedian Mehmood, which began when he was already married.

In a recent conversation with Zoom, Aruna Irani recalled how stepping into the film industry as a young woman was anything but easy.

She described her journey as one filled with obstacles, where even seeking work came with its own risks. According to her, exploitation was common during that time, and survival required constant alertness and emotional strength.

To protect herself, Aruna said she developed a unique way of deflecting unwanted advances. She would act deliberately naïve, making it difficult for people to judge whether she was truly innocent or simply uninterested.

When invited out socially, she would politely decline with excuses — saying she didn’t drink coffee, tea, or even cold drinks — leaving people unsure of how to proceed.

Her tactic allowed her to complete her work and leave quietly, though it often meant losing future opportunities with the same people.

She admitted that this approach sometimes costs her repeat work, but it also helps her avoid being taken advantage of.

New opportunities eventually came her way, and she continued moving forward on her own terms.

Speaking about Mehmood, Aruna acknowledged that he played a crucial role in launching her career by giving her her first meaningful break in films.

She said their relationship grew out of a sense of obligation and professional dependence. Over time, however, as their careers took different directions, the nature of their association changed. She began to feel that the dynamic had turned exploitative.

Despite this, Aruna clarified that she does not place the blame entirely on Mehmood. She explained that her actions were driven by financial hardship and necessity, and she accepts her own role in what transpired.

Eventually, the relationship came to an end.

Addressing long-standing rumours, Aruna revealed that Mehmood had once given her hope that he would marry her, but that promise was never fulfilled. Looking back, she believes it may have been a blessing in disguise.

She pointed out that he had already been married twice and could have married again, but fate had other plans for her. While acknowledging that the situation was wrong, she feels destiny ultimately protected her.

She also shared how false claims about their marriage severely affected her career. According to Aruna, Mehmood reportedly told people that they were already married, which led filmmakers to stop casting her.

There was a fear that she might become pregnant, potentially disrupting film projects. This phase proved to be a major setback professionally.

Things began to improve only after their association ended completely. Once they stopped working together, the industry realised there was no personal relationship between them, and she was slowly able to rebuild her career.

In an earlier interview with Lehren Retro, Aruna had revealed that she wanted to marry Mehmood, but he refused, citing objections from his family.

She also claimed that he eventually distanced himself from her and stopped offering her work.

Reflecting on that period, Aruna admitted that she went beyond her comfort zone to please him. Coming from an extremely poor background, she said she was overwhelmed by the sudden exposure to fame, recognition, and money, which influenced many of her decisions at the time.

Today, Aruna Irani is married to filmmaker and writer Kuku Kohli and looks back at her journey with honesty, resilience, and hard-earned perspective.

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