Zayed Khan recently spoke about his mother Zarine Khan and her final wishes. His statement comes months after discussions took place about her funeral, where Hindu rituals were followed despite her mixed religious background. In an interview, Zayed explained that the decisions made during the last rites were based on his mother’s wishes and not influenced by public opinion.
He shared that in his family, religion has always been treated as something personal. They do not see one belief as better than another. Talking about this, he said, “We as a family find religion to be something very personal to you, and how you want to approach it, and not something which is better and which is worse. These are not things that are good to say. We define ourselves by being a very secular family, and we don’t need to say why.”
Zayed also spoke about the values followed in their home. He said that the family believes in supporting people from different backgrounds and focuses on giving opportunities instead of dividing people based on religion.
He then shared a personal memory of his mother. He recalled that she was once sitting near a river when she expressed a simple wish about her final moments. According to him, “the thought just passed her head, saying that if I ever go, I want my ashes to flow in this river. I want to be free”.
For Zayed, fulfilling this wish was very important. He made it clear that his mother’s last wishes mattered more than any outside opinions. He said, “Whatever your mother’s last wishes, it will be done. It doesn’t matter what other people say. It doesn’t matter how hateful they can be. I don’t blame them, halat aise hai (situation is such), unfortunately. Unn halaton ko badalne mein waqt lagega (It will take time to change those circumstances).”
Zarine Khan passed away on November 7 last year in Mumbai at the age of 81 due to health issues related to age. Her funeral drew attention because Zayed performed Hindu rituals, even though she had Parsi roots and was married to Sanjay Khan.
She had a brief connection with films and appeared in Tere Ghar Ke Samne in 1963 with Dev Anand. She later married Sanjay Khan in 1966. She is survived by her husband and their children Zayed Khan, Sussanne Khan, Farah, and Simone Arora.