There was a time in the history of Hindi cinema when simplicity was considered the crown jewel of beauty. Actresses in that era cast a spell upon the screen. Their simplicity won everyone’s hearts. Today, we’re talking about this beautiful actress of the 1940s, who was not only a top actress of her time but also Mahesh Bhatt’s maternal aunt and Emraan Hashmi’s maternal grandmother.
Yes! We are talking about Purnima Das Verma
How Emraan Hashmi’s grandmother entered cinema
Very few people know that Purnima Das Verma’s real name was Meherbano Mohammad Ali. When she entered films, she was given the stage name Purnima. She was the maternal aunt of Alia Bhatt‘s father, Mahesh Bhatt, meaning the 40s star was Alia’s grandmother, Shirin Mohammed Ali’s sister.
Purnima’s father, a Hindu, worked as an assistant at Kikubhai Desai’s film distribution company. Her mother was Muslim and hailed from Lucknow. At the time when Purnima entered films, heroines generally didn’t work as often, but her sister introduced her to films.
She was then exposed to the film industry through her family. She began her career with the film Thes. However, her biggest breakthrough came with the film Patanga (1949).
Purnima appeared in several films
While Poornima didn’t have many major films to her credit, she was a part of cinema, and during that period, she acted in some films that were huge hits. She acted in many memorable films such as Jogwan (1950), Sagaai (1951), Jaal (1952) and Aurat (1953).
During that period, Purnima was known for her killer smile and expressive eyes. She worked with almost all the big stars of the time, including Ashok Kumar, Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand. She even played Amitabh Bachchan‘s mother in the film Zanjeer.
Two marriages and personal tragedies
She was first married to Shaukat Hashmi, a journalist. After marriage, she changed her name to Meherbano Mohammad Ali. Purnima later gave birth to a son, Syed Anwar Hashmi. This is the same Anwar Hashmi whose son is Emraan Hashmi and thus Emraan’s grandmother was Meherbano, also known as Purnima.
However, Meherbano (Purnima)’s marriage to Shaukat did not last long. They eventually divorced, and after Partition, Shaukat moved to Pakistan and settled there. Meanwhile, Purnima remarried film producer Bhagwandas Verma. After the marriage, Purnima became Purnima Das Verma.
Financial difficulties
Purnima acted in over 80 films, but towards the end of her career, she withdrew from the limelight. However, there was a period in her life when she faced financial difficulties. It is said that the situation became so dire that she even had to sell her bungalow.
Purnima Das Verma herself mentioned this in an interview. It’s said that after their marriage, some of Purnima’s husband and producer Bhagwan Das Verma’s films flopped. This led to financial difficulties and she had to sell her bungalow.
Purnima starred in several hit films in the 1940s and 1950s. She emerged, made a name for herself, and left countless memories for cinema. Ultimately, Purnima passed away in 2013.
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