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isn't just an inspiration for women because she broke stereotypes on screen or showed how to be confident, but the actress has gone through immense struggles in her personal life.
Yet, she continued to remain resilient and is quite positive today about life, with no bitterness. The actress went through a bad marriage with Mazhar Khan and she realised it was a mistake just in the first year of marriage. But she decided to stick by her decision as it was against everyone's will.She had opened up on the turbulent times in her personal life in an interview with Simi Garewal. Zeenat had said, "The first year of marriage, I realised I had made a mistake but since I had made the decision against everybody’s will, I decided to make it work.
I’m not necessarily saying that it was the best thing for him either. It was a difficult time since the first year because I was pregnant with my first child and Mazhar was not there.
There was a big article in Stardust magazine at that time about the woman that Mazhar was seeing. It’s reality.”Despite Mazhar's reality, she wanted to stick by the commitment which she made. Mazhar later also fell really ill and she was just by his side to take care of him.
"I tried everything under the sun. We were in and out of every hospital in Mumbai. I learned how to give injections, to do dressing. He was living with a bag outside his body for 18 months, I learned how to change that bag. I did everything there was to do. I flew overseas and found the best doctor.
When that thing was over and the problem was sorted, it had taken a toll on me. I was very close to a nervous breakdown.”However, later Zeenat left only because he was addicted to his prescription drugs.
She said, "He had stopped helping himself and was inflicting further damage on himself and I couldn’t stay there and watch him do that. He was taking seven painkillers a day. At the end, his kidneys did pack up and this was after I had opted out. When I left, I still cared. I have no guilt because I am sure 99 percent women wouldn’t have lasted as long and as honestly as I did.
”Mazhar Khan passed away in 1998 due to kidney failure. After his death, Mazhar's mother and sister completely cut her and the children out. They were not given a single penny after his death and didn't even allow the actress to attend his funeral. Zeenat has two sons - Zahaan Khan, Azaan Khan. The actress was last seen in 'The Royals'.
English (US)