ETimes BFFs: Did you know Tiger 3 actor Emraan Hashmi’s grandmother had acted with Amitabh Bachchan in Zanjeer? | Hindi Movie News

Emraan Hashmi is back to the silver screens with Maneesh Sharma’s action thriller Tiger 3 that stars Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif in the lead. Having spent two decades in the film industry, Emraan has caved his niche in Bollywood, perhaps without banking too much on his filmy lineage. Yes, Emraan is remotely related to the Bhatts – Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt are his maternal uncles while Alia Bhattand Shaheen Bhatt are his maternal cousins.But did you know that Emraan’s grandmother was a well known actress in Bollywood for over three decades? While Emraan shines in Tiger 3, in this edition of ETimes BFFs (Big Filmy Families), we take you through his lesser known family members who left a mark in Hindi cinema.
Meherbano Mohammad Ali
Emraan Hashmi’s grandmother Meherbano aka Purnima Das (her screen name) was a popular actress in the late 40s.
She has acted in over 80 films including Patanga, Jogan, Jaal, Aurat among others. She played a role in Ajay Devgn’s debut film Phool Aur Kaante. She also played Sanjay Dutt’s grandmother in Naam which was directed by Mahesh Bhatt. She played Amitabh Bachchan‘s mother in the film Zanjeer.

Meherbano was first married to a journalist named Syed Shauqat Hashmi, who reportedly moved to Pakistan during the end of colonial rule. Their son Anwar Hashmi (Emraan Hashmi’s father) is also an actor who was seen in films like Baharon Ke Manzil. Anwar was married to Maherahh with whom he had two children – Calvin and Emraan. Maherahh died of cancer in 2016.

In 1954, Meherbano married filmmaker Bhagwan Das Varma. She took the screen name ‘Purnima’ after she entered the film industry. Her elder sister is Shirin Mohammad Ali who is the mother of Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt.
Meherbano reportedly had Alzheimer’s disease and she passed away in 2013.
Bhagwan Das Varma
Bhagwan was one of the six brothers who were the founders of Varma Films, a leading production and distribution company of those times. The first film to be made under this banner was Suhaag Raat in 1948. Bagwan also directed films like Aurat, Pooja and Baghi Sipahi.
In 1954, he married Purnima who had worked in majority of films made by Varma films.
Emraan Hashmi
Emraan Hashmi began his Bollywood career as an assistant director on the horror film Raaz. He made his acting debut with Footpath in 2003 and thereafter went on to do films like Murder, Kalyug, Gangster, Jannat, Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai, The Dirty Picture among others.
He was last seen in Selfiee alongside Akshay Kumar which was a remake of Malayalam language movie Driving Licence. He is currently being praised for his role of an antagonist in YRF’s Tiger 3 where he is pitted against Salman Khan’s Tiger.
Emraan married Parveen Shahani in 2006 after dating for over six years. They have a son, Ayaan, who was born in 2010.
Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt
Emraan’s grandma Meherbano is the sister of Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt’s mother Shirin Mohammad Ali. So Emraan turns out to be the nephew of the Bhatts. Alia Bhatt, Shaheen Bhatt, Pooja Bhatt, Sakshi Bhatt, Vishesh Bhatt and Rahul Bhatt are thus his cousins.
Milan Luthria
Emraan is also related to filmmaker Milan Luthria. Meherbano’s sister Gulbano is Milan’s maternal grandmother. Thus these two turn out to be cousins. They have collaborated on films like Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai and The Dirty Picture.
Mohit Suri
Filmmaker Mohit Suri and Emraan too are cousins as Mohit’s mother Heena Suri is the daughter of Shirin Mohammad Ali. The two have collaborated on films like Kalyug, Awarapan, Raaz, Crook and Murder 2. Emraan has also worked with Suri’s wife Udita Goswami in the film Aksar.