The world knows her as Zeenat Aman, but the veteran star recently left fans surprised with a little-known revelation about her identity. The actor shared that she also has a Hindu name, Laliteshwari, and revealed that her parents were in an interfaith marriage.
Zeenat Aman on her beliefs
On Wednesday, Zeenat attended the Amrit Ratna 2026 summit in New Delhi, where she spoke about how she has two different names. Zeenat’s mother, Vardhini, was a Hindu woman.
Talking about it, Zeenat said, “My name from my father’s side is Zeenat Aman, but from my mother’s side, my name is Laliteshwari. My mother’s name was Vardhini. She was a deeply religious Hindu woman who would spend two to three hours every day performing puja, and I was largely raised by her.”
She was then questioned about whether she herself is a religious person. To this, Zeenat straightaway said no and then explained, “I am not religious because I have seen things very closely. My mother was Hindu, my father was Muslim, and the father of my children is also Muslim. I studied in a Catholic school, and my stepfather is German, so I was exposed to a very global way of life. Because of that, I never felt the need to adhere to any particular religion. All religions are good; no religion teaches you to do anything wrong. I believe in humanity, kindness, peace, equality, and love for people and animals. That is my religion.”
About Zeenat Aman
Zeenat Aman first gained recognition after winning Femina Miss India and Miss Asia Pacific International in 1970. She began her acting career the same year with The Evil Within and got her breakthrough a year later with Hare Rama Hare Krishna.
She rose to prominence in the 1970s with films like Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973), Roti Kapda Aur Makaan (1974), Dharam Veer and Don (1978), among others. In the 1980s, she continued to star in films such as Laawaris and Pukar. After appearing in Gawaahi (1989), she took a hiatus to focus on her personal life. Often regarded as a style icon and one of Bollywood’s early sex symbols, Zeenat was last seen in the 2025 series The Royals, which was released on Netflix. Fans will see Zeenat next in Bun Tikki, produced by Manish Malhotra’s production banner Stage5 Productions. Directed by Faraz Arif Ansari, the film also stars Shabana Azmi and Abhay Deol.