Farah Khan: On July 26, the film fraternity and the Khan family suffered a deep loss as Menaka Irani, the mother of popular filmmaker-choreographer Farah Khan and director Sajid Khan, breathed her last in Mumbai. Her demise caused waves of sorrow among the Bollywood fraternity, all of whom came visiting Farah’s home in huge numbers to pay condolences.
Farah Khan’s Heartfelt Tribute to Her Late Mother
Farah Khan, on August 5, took to Instagram and penned a befitting tribute in her respect, speaking highly about the exemplary personality of her mother and their attachment. Sharing how her mother, Menaka Irani, was a great source of strength for her, the choreographer revealed that she could be the wit and humor that could be unmatched, even surpassing that of Farah herself and Sajid.
Farah paid tribute with a sweet selection of memories, including an old birthday photo in which Farah is seen as a child, while Menaka is wonderfully dressed in a saree. There was also a beautiful black-and-white throwback of graceful and charming Menaka, who briefly dabbled in acting. Two old photographs of Farah with her mother were also shared, including a poignant snapshot from Farah’s wedding to filmmaker Shirish Kunder back in 2004.
Farah Khan Reflects on Her Mother’s Unassuming Nature
In her caption, Farah wrote, “My mom was a very unique person.. never wanted the limelight or any fuss around her.. despite the hard knocks she faced in her early life she was a rare one who had no bitterness or envy towards anyone. Everyone who met her loved her and realised where we get our sense of humour from. Well hardly… she was far wittier n funny than both Sajid and I put together.”
Showing her gratitude, Farah also wrote, “I don’t know if she can see the outpouring of genuine love n condolences that have come for her .. not only from our friends n of course family but so many of her colleagues n people who worked in our house came saying how my mom had helped them with loans or sending them money.. never expecting it back. Thank you to all who came home to be with us in our grief.. to all who messaged n are still messaging.”
Farah added, “To all her doctors n nurses at Nanavati hospital who tried their best everyday. We are grateful you gave us some more days with her. It’s time to get back to work… that’s what she was always proud of. Our work! I don’t want time to heal this lump that will always stay in my heart.. I don’t want to miss her coz she’s always a part of me… grateful to the universe for letting her be my mother n letting us look after her the way she single handedly looked after us all her life.. no more mourning now.. I want to celebrate her every day.. thank you everyone… PS: the song playing was by her favourite country singer Don Williams. Knowing her she would probably think its too filmy of me to use it here…”
Film Fraternity Pays Tribute to Menaka Irani
The film fraternity responded and arrived in solidarity, filled with warmth. Key people, including Shah Rukh Khan, Gauri Khan, Rani Mukerji, and Abhishek Bachchan visited Farah’s home to pay tributes soon after Menaka’s death. Their presence epitomized what effect Menaka had on those around her and how much respect she was held in by all.
Farah had earlier posted on Instagram that her mother underwent several surgeries and that she took Menaka’s presence in her life for granted. In the July 12 birthday post, Farah celebrated her mother as a strong woman and confessed that she really wants to see Menaka recover and be strong again. Farah pens a meaningful caption, “We all take our mothers for granted.especially me!”, showing deep love and the pain of such a key loss in her life.
She was the sister of actors Daisy Irani and screenwriter Honey Irani. Though her father expired, she brought up Farah and Sajid single-handedly as a strong matriarch. Now, her legacy survives through her children and their service to the film industry, forever keeping her spirit alive to inspire and go on touching several hearts.