It is 2026, and yet the name Mazhar Khan still pops up whenever someone scrolls through Zeenat Aman’s iconic Instagram feed. Most people remember him—if they remember him at all—as a footnote in the life of a superstar. They see a blurry photo from the 80s and think, "Oh, that was her second husband." But the reality of their marriage wasn't just some glitzy Bollywood union. It was heavy. It was complicated. And honestly, it was pretty tragic.
Zeenat Aman was the undisputed queen of the 70s. She was the "it" girl who redefined the Indian heroine. So, when she decided to marry Mazhar Khan in 1985, the industry was basically in shock. Why him? He wasn’t a massive A-lister like her previous partners. He was a character actor, best known for his role as Abdul in the movie Shaan.
Why Zeenat Aman Married Mazhar Khan
You’ve got to understand where Zeenat was mentally at that time. She had just come out of a horrific, highly publicized relationship with Sanjay Khan. That situation ended in a literal bloodbath at a hotel, leaving her with permanent damage to her eye. She was traumatized. She was lonely.
Basically, she wanted a family.
In several raw interviews, including her famous chat with Simi Garewal, Zeenat admitted that her biological clock was ticking. She wanted children more than she wanted another blockbuster. Mazhar Khan was there. He was charming, he was persistent, and he seemed like a safe harbor after the storm she’d just survived. Her mother was dead set against it. Like, totally opposed. But Zeenat eloped anyway, marrying him in a quiet ceremony in Singapore.
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The Mistake She Realized Too Soon
The honeymoon phase didn't even last a year. Zeenat has been very vocal about the fact that she realized she’d made a massive mistake almost immediately. While she was pregnant with her first son, Azaan, she found out Mazhar was having an affair. She literally read about it in Stardust magazine while she was home, waiting for him.
Imagine being the most beautiful woman in India and finding out your husband is elsewhere while you’re carrying his child. It’s brutal.
She wanted out right then. But back then, the stigma was different. She stayed for the kids. She had another son, Zahaan, and decided she was going to make this marriage work through sheer force of will. She spent twelve years in a "tunnel with no light," as she once put it. There wasn't joy. There was just duty.
The Reality of Mazhar Khan’s Health Battle
Things took a darker turn when Mazhar fell seriously ill. We’re talking chronic kidney failure. This is the part of the story that people often gloss over, but it’s where Zeenat showed what she’s really made of. Even though she wasn't happy, even though the marriage was basically dead, she became his full-time nurse.
She wasn't just a wife; she was a medical technician. She learned:
- How to give him injections.
- How to dress his wounds.
- How to manage a medical bag he had to wear outside his body for 18 months.
She flew him to London. She flew him to Atlanta. She spent every penny she had trying to save a man she wasn't even "in love" with anymore. It was an act of pure human decency.
The Bitter Ending in 1998
By 1998, the relationship had reached a breaking point. Zeenat finally filed for divorce, citing physical and mental abuse. It was a messy, public fallout. But before the legalities could even finish, Mazhar Khan died of kidney failure on September 16, 1998. He was only 43.
The tragedy didn't end with his death. In a move that feels like a script from a bad soap opera, Mazhar’s family blamed Zeenat for his passing. They were so bitter that they literally barred her from attending his funeral. She was the mother of his two children, the woman who had spent years cleaning his wounds, and she wasn't allowed to say goodbye.
What Really Happened with the Sanjay Khan "Marriage"?
Before we wrap this up, we have to address the "first husband" confusion. Many people list Sanjay Khan as her first husband. Technically, they had a secret marriage in 1978 that was annulled in 1979. It lasted less than a year and ended in that infamous violence at the Taj Mahal Hotel.
So, when people talk about husband of Zeenat Aman, they are usually referring to Mazhar because that was her only long-term, legal marriage that produced her two sons. Sanjay was a "brief but traumatic chapter," as she calls it. Mazhar was the life-altering mistake she lived with for over a decade.
Lessons from Zeenat's Journey
If you’re looking at this story today, it’s not just celebrity gossip. It’s a study in resilience. Zeenat Aman lost her wealth, her career took a backseat, and she faced a smear campaign from her in-laws that left her penniless for a while. She survived by doing odd jobs and focusing entirely on her boys.
Today, she’s a cultural icon again, but she carries those scars. She’s taught us that:
- Listen to your gut (and maybe your mom). Zeenat ignored the red flags because she wanted the "dream" of a family.
- You can survive the "un-survivable." Being barred from a funeral and left with nothing is a rock bottom most can't imagine, yet she’s here, thriving.
- Grace is a choice. She speaks about Mazhar now with a sort of detached honesty—no vitriol, just the facts.
If you want to understand the modern Zeenat Aman, you have to understand the shadow Mazhar Khan cast over her life. It wasn't a fairy tale. It was a long, hard-fought battle for self-preservation.
If you're interested in the "Golden Era" of Bollywood, the best way to get the truth isn't through old tabloids. Look at the primary sources—specifically Zeenat's own social media reflections, which provide the most nuanced context we've ever had on these years.
Next Steps for You:
- Check out the 1999 archives of Rendezvous with Simi Garewal on YouTube; it is the most honest Zeenat has ever been on camera about Mazhar.
- Follow Zeenat Aman on Instagram to see how she has reclaimed her narrative in her own words, often referencing her past with incredible poise.