Purnima Das Verma[1] | |
---|---|
Born | Meherbhano Mohammad Ali[1] 2 March 1934 |
Died | 14 August 2013 | (aged 79)
Occupation | Actress |
Spouses | |
Children | 1 |
Relatives | Mahesh Bhatt (nephew) Emraan Hashmi (grandson)[2] |
Purnima Das Verma (born Meherbhano Mohammad Ali; 2 March, 1934 — 14 August, 2013) was an Indian actress who worked predominantly in Hindi-language films.[3][4][1] She was the aunt of director Mahesh Bhatt and grandmother of actor Emraan Hashmi.
Meherbano Mohammad Ali was born on 2 March, 1934. Her elder sister, Shirin, is the mother of directors Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt.[5] Meherbano's first husband was a journalist named Syed Shauqat Hashmi, who moved to Pakistan during the partition of India. Her son from this first marriage, Anwar Hashmi (father of Emraan Hashmi), acted in Baharon Ke Manzil (1968) opposite Farida Jalal.[1] In 1954, she got married for the second time, to filmmaker, Bhagwan Das Varma. Meherbano took the screen name 'Purnima' when she entered the film industry.
Purnima acted in over 80 Bollywood films.[1] She was a popular Hindi film actress from the late '40s to '50s. She appeared in many films including, Patanga (1949), Jogan (1950), Sagai (1951), Jaal (1952), Aurat (1953), a role in Ajay Devgan's debut film Phool Aur Kaante, and the role of Sanjay Dutt's on-screen grandmother, in Naam which was directed by Mahesh Bhatt.[6] She also played the role of Amitabh Bachchan's mother, in the film Zanjeer.
Purnima had Alzheimer's disease during the last few years of her life and died on 14 August, 2013.[1][7] Mahesh Bhatt later revealed on Twitter, "My aunt Purnima, the first star of our family and who happens to be Emraan Hashmi's grandmother has entered the sunset moments of her life."[8]