Aruna Irani reveals why she was never close to cousin Bindu: ‘We kept our distance... they didn’t like us asking for money’

Aruna Irani, one of Indian cinema’s most prolific actresses with over 500 films to her credit, recently opened up about her distant relationship with cousin and fellow actress Bindu. In a recent interview, the veteran actress revealed how complicated family ties and financial struggles contributed to their lack of closeness.“She is my step-massi’s (aunt’s) daughter,” Aruna explained. “My maternal grandfather had two wives—one was my mother’s mother, and the other was someone else. Bindu was from the second wife. We were never close as cousins,” she told Lehren Retro. Aruna on early financial strugglesSharing how financial strain created a divide, Aruna recalled, “Her father was a director, Nanubhai Desai, and they always kept their distance. What used to happen was that we didn’t have much money, so my mother would often borrow from Jyoti Maasi because she couldn’t let her children go hungry, right?”The actress added that she was often sent to ask for small amounts of money, which didn’t sit well with the other side of the family.

“Unse baar baar Rs 50 de do, Rs 30 de do aise karke mujhe bhejte the lene ke liye. Toh unko pasand nahi tha,” she said. “There was nothing wrong in it, but it was like, ‘Why do you keep asking for money all the time?’ So a distance remained between us because we felt something unpleasant might come of it.

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No professional overlap kept the gap intactAruna also noted that despite both finding success in the same industry, they never collaborated onscreen. “After we both became actors, we never grew close because we never worked together. People would either cast her or me—so we never got the chance to meet.”Both Aruna Irani and Bindu became household names in Hindi cinema through the 70s and 80s—often playing strong character roles, comic parts, or vamps.