Zeenat Aman reveals her Hindu name, explains why she is not religious: 'My father was Muslim, I studied in a Catholic school, my stepfather is German'

Zeenat Aman is known for breaking stereotypes in the 70s and 80s with her bold roles in films like ‘Qurbaani’, ‘Satyam Shivam Sundaram’, ‘Don’, Hare Rama Hare Krishna’ among others. The actress continues to be an inspiration for even many youngsters today through her candid revelations and thoughts on social media. She shares a lot of anecdotes and honest opinions on her social media which connect to people. At a recent event, the actress opened up about her life and how her name Zeenat Aman comes from her father’s side but her mother was a Hindu.She said at News18 India’s Amrit Ratna 2026 ceremony, “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."When asked whether she considers herself religious, Zeenat offered a clear and thoughtful response.“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."Explaining how these diverse influences shaped her worldview, she added, “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."Over the course of her illustrious career, Zeenat Aman emerged as one of the highest-paid actresses of her era and shared screen space with some of Indian cinema's biggest stars, including Amitabh Bachchan, Dev Anand, Dharmendra, Shashi Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor among others.