Friday, November 7, 2025 brought devastating news that sent shockwaves through Bollywood’s old guard and left the Khan family shattered. Zarine Khan, the graceful wife of veteran actor Sanjay Khan and beloved mother to interior designer Sussanne Khan and actor Zayed Khan, passed away peacefully at her Mumbai residence at age 81. The cause: a sudden cardiac arrest after battling age-related health issues for some time. Within hours of the news breaking, Bollywood descended on the Khan family home in Mumbai to pay their last respects. Hrithik Roshan, Sussanne’s ex-husband, arrived looking visibly heartbroken to support the woman who’d been his mother-in-law for 14 years. Bobby Deol covered his face from paparazzi cameras, overwhelmed with emotion. Jaya Bachchan and daughter Shweta rushed over. Jackie Shroff actually stopped and warned photographers to behave respectfully. The outpouring of grief revealed just how beloved Zarine was, not just as Sanjay Khan’s wife or Sussanne’s mother, but as a pillar of grace, warmth, and strength who shaped an entire generation of Bollywood relationships. This wasn’t just another celebrity death, it was the end of an era.
The Morning Mumbai Woke Up to Heartbreak
Friday morning started normal for most of Mumbai. Then around noon, the news broke quietly through industry circles before exploding across social media: Zarine Khan had passed away at her home. The details emerged gradually. She’d been battling age-related health issues for months, her condition deteriorating despite medical care and family support surrounding her. The sudden cardiac arrest came swift and merciful, taking her peacefully while family remained close. She didn’t suffer long, a small blessing in the tragedy.
For Sanjay Khan, 85, this marks the loss of his life partner of nearly 60 years. The couple married in 1966 after meeting in the most ordinary yet romantic way possible: at a bus stop. According to family lore repeatedly shared over decades, they locked eyes, started talking, and knew immediately something special existed between them. That bus stop encounter turned into a love story spanning six decades, four children, numerous grandchildren, and a partnership that weathered every storm Bollywood and life could throw at them.
For Sussanne, Zayed, Simone, and Farah, this is the loss of the woman who shaped everything they became. Sussanne’s July birthday tribute to her mother, posted just four months ago, now reads like a premonition. “All that I do and all that I create in my life has to do with the way you formed my heart, my mind, and my grit,” she wrote alongside a video montage of family moments. Those words carry unbearable weight now, a daughter’s love letter that became her mother’s eulogy.
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The Funeral That Brought Bollywood Together
Within hours of Zarine’s passing, the Khan residence transformed into an impromptu gathering of Bollywood royalty, all coming to grieve with the family and honor a woman who’d been fixture in their lives for decades. The arrival of each celebrity told its own story about Zarine’s impact and the relationships she’d nurtured.
Credits: India TV News
Hrithik Roshan’s appearance hit hardest for those watching. The superstar, who divorced Sussanne in 2014 after 14 years of marriage, arrived looking genuinely devastated. His relationship with Sussanne ended romantically, but his connection to her family, particularly Zarine, apparently remained strong. Photos showed him leaving the residence with grief etched across his famous face, proof that some bonds transcend marriage and divorce. He’d lost not just his ex-mother-in-law but someone who’d welcomed him into the family, supported his career, and remained part of his sons Hrehaan and Hridaan’s grandmother circle.
Credits: Bollywood Shadis
Bobby Deol’s arrival captured another emotional layer. The actor, known for his stoic public persona, covered his face from cameras while entering, clearly overcome with emotion. His friendship with the Khan family runs deep through decades of industry connections, and Zarine’s death represented losing an elder who’d watched him grow from star kid to established actor.
Jaya Bachchan and daughter Shweta Bachchan arriving together showed respect across Bollywood’s generational divide. Jaya, herself Bollywood royalty from the 1970s era when Zarine was still acting, came to honor a contemporary who’d chosen different paths but remained connected through industry bonds. Shweta’s presence demonstrated how these relationships extend to next generations.
Credits: Zoom TV
The moment that went viral, however, was Jackie Shroff stopping paparazzi from their usual chaos. The veteran actor, known for his no-nonsense attitude and respect for decorum, literally warned photographers to behave respectfully or face consequences. “Show some dignity,” he reportedly told the assembled media, his protective instinct kicking in to shield a grieving family from exploitation. That intervention earned widespread praise online as reminder that some moments deserve reverence over content.
Other arrivals included Rani Mukerji, Saba Azad (who’s dating Hrithik currently and came supporting Sussanne), Pashmina Roshan (Hrithik’s sister maintaining family ties), Shabana Azmi, Neelam Kothari, Rakul Preet Singh, and Jackky Bhagnani. The sheer number and stature of attendees revealed Zarine’s social standing and the genuine affection people held for her beyond obligatory condolences.
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The Actress Who Chose Family Over Fame
Before becoming Sanjay Khan’s wife and Bollywood insider, Zarine Katrak had her own brief film career. She appeared in Tere Ghar Ke Saamne (1963) opposite Dev Anand, playing his secretary in a romantic comedy that became a hit. That role showcased her natural screen presence and beauty that could’ve launched a major career. She also starred in Ek Phool Do Mali, demonstrating range beyond the ingenue parts typically offered to newcomers.
Credits: The Deccan Herald
But when Sanjay Khan came into her life in the mid-1960s, Zarine made a choice many actresses faced in that era: career or family. Unlike today when actresses regularly continue working through marriage and motherhood, 1960s Bollywood demanded women choose. Zarine chose Sanjay, marriage in 1966, and building a family that would become Bollywood royalty through different means than acting.
That decision doesn’t diminish her significance, it actually elevated it. Instead of chasing fame through films, she created legacy through her children’s successes, her interior design work that influenced Mumbai’s elite homes, and her role as matriarch to a family that’s remained relevant across three generations. Sussanne becoming one of India’s top interior designers? That came directly from watching Zarine’s work and passion for design. Zayed entering films? The industry connections and knowledge came from growing up in a household where Bollywood wasn’t just business but family trade.
The Interior Designer Who Shaped Mumbai’s Elite Homes
After stepping away from acting, Zarine established herself as sought-after interior designer long before Sussanne made it fashionable. In an era when interior design wasn’t considered serious profession in India, Zarine pioneered bringing Western design sensibilities to Mumbai’s traditional homes while respecting cultural aesthetics. Her client list included Bollywood stars, business tycoons, and Mumbai’s social elite who trusted her to create spaces that balanced luxury with livability.
That work influenced Sussanne profoundly. Growing up watching her mother sketch designs, select fabrics, coordinate contractors, and transform empty spaces into homes gave Sussanne a master class in the profession. When Sussanne launched her own design firm, she wasn’t just trading on the Khan name but applying knowledge absorbed through years watching Zarine work. That generational transfer of skill and passion represents Zarine’s lasting professional legacy.
Zarine also authored Family Secret, a cookbook compiling recipes passed down through generations. In an interview about the book, she explained her motivation: preserving family culinary traditions before they disappeared with her generation. Those recipes, tested through decades of family gatherings and celebrations, became documentation of cultural heritage and domestic life that cookbooks rarely capture. It wasn’t about launching culinary career but ensuring grandchildren and great-grandchildren could taste their history.
The Love Story That Started at a Bus Stop
The romanticism of Sanjay and Zarine’s origin story deserves deeper appreciation. Picture 1960s Mumbai: a young actress named Zarin Katrak standing at a bus stop, probably running through lines for her next scene or thinking about career next steps. Then Sanjay Khan, already establishing himself as Bollywood’s latest heartthrob, happens to be at the same bus stop. Their eyes meet. They start talking. And somehow, in that ordinary moment at a mundane location, two people recognized their futures standing before them.
Credits: The Statesman
That kind of love story, unscripted and unglamorous in its beginning, proved more lasting than the manufactured romances Bollywood sells onscreen. Fifty-nine years of marriage through Sanjay’s film career ups and downs, through children growing up in spotlights and navigating their own challenges, through industry changes and personal struggles, Sanjay and Zarine remained partners. In an industry where marriages routinely collapse under fame’s pressure, their endurance represented something increasingly rare: commitment beyond convenience.
Sanjay’s current grief, losing the woman he chose at a bus stop six decades ago, must be devastating beyond words. At 85, he’s outlived the person who knew him before fame, who chose him when futures remained uncertain, who built a life alongside his rather than in his shadow. That kind of partnership, once lost, leaves voids nothing can fill.
The Legacy She Leaves Behind
Zarine is survived by her husband and four children who’ve each carved distinct paths while remaining unified as family. Sussanne, beyond her successful design career, navigated a very public divorce from Hrithik Roshan with grace that reflected her mother’s influence. Instead of bitter custody battles or tabloid wars, Sussanne and Hrithik maintained respectful co-parenting that put their sons’ wellbeing first. That maturity came from somewhere, likely from watching how Zarine handled challenges with dignity rather than drama.
Zayed Khan’s acting career had its moments including roles in Main Hoon Na and Dus, though he never reached the superstardom many predicted. But he’s remained grounded, focused on family, and avoided the pitfalls that destroy many star kids. Again, that stability traces back to the foundation Zarine built.
Simone Arora and Farah Ali Khan, though less publicly visible than their siblings, built their own careers and families with the same values Zarine instilled. Farah became jewelry designer creating pieces worn by Bollywood elite. Simone maintains lower profile but active presence in family life. Both represent paths Zarine supported: success defined by personal fulfillment rather than public validation.
The grandchildren, including Sussanne’s sons with Hrithik, now carry forward Zarine’s DNA and values into yet another generation. They’ll grow up hearing stories about the great-grandmother who met her husband at a bus stop, gave up film career for family, built interior design empire, and held together a clan through every imaginable challenge Bollywood could present.
Your Memories of Zarine’s Era
What do you remember about Bollywood’s 1960s era when actresses like Zarine graced screens before choosing different paths? Can you imagine today’s stars making the same choice between career and family? Drop your thoughts in the comments about how much Bollywood has changed and whether those changes represent progress or loss. Share this tribute with anyone who appreciates when industry legends pass, they take entire eras with them. Follow for updates on funeral arrangements and continued tributes from the Bollywood community. Because Zarine Khan’s passing marks more than one woman’s death, it closes a chapter on Bollywood when relationships mattered more than Instagram followers and grace mattered more than going viral.
