When Aruna Irani fell in love with married filmmaker Kuku Kohli: Ye jo wives hoti hain voh hamesha dusri aurat ko gaali deti hain...

Aruna Irani and filmmaker Kuku Kohli

Veteran actress Aruna Irani, a familiar name in Indian cinema, was born into a family deeply rooted in the performing arts. Her father was a celebrated stage actor, while her mother had also worked in films.

Despite growing up amidst such creative influence, Aruna’s early years were far from easy.  Other than that, her romantic relationships have also been in the news, especially with filmmaker Kuku Kohli.

Aruna's tryst with acting began at a young age when legendary actor Dilip Kumar spotted her potential and cast her as a child artist in the 1961 classic Ganga Jamuna. That early opportunity marked the beginning of a prolific career.

While her professional achievements brought her widespread acclaim, Aruna’s personal life often drew intense public scrutiny. Her romantic relationship with comedian Mehmood became the subject of much gossip, as he was already a married man at the time. After their eventual breakup, Aruna found love once again — this time with filmmaker Kuku Kohli, who was also married.

It was during the making of a film that Aruna and Kuku first crossed paths. He was directing, and the two developed an easy rapport. Aruna was 40 when their friendship blossomed into something deeper.

Speaking about her marriage to Kuku Kohli, Aruna revealed in an ANI podcast with Smita Prakash that his first wife had been unwell and passed away after their marriage. She explained why she kept the relationship private for so long: “It was only after his first wife’s death that she got the courage to speak about her marriage with him.”

Her relationship with Kuku invited criticism, with many branding her a homewrecker. Aruna, however, refused to be solely blamed.

Taking a firm stand, she said: “Ye jo wives hoti hain, voh hamesha dusri aurat ko gaali deti hain. See, I am not responsible to keep you happy, your husband is responsible, hold him first. Tell him ‘why did you do this?’ Maine koi ghar todne ke liye nahi affair kiya. But something happens, I don’t know what, only a man would know or a woman would know as to why a third person enters.”

After tying the knot with Kuku Kohli in a private ceremony, Aruna made the deliberate decision not to have children. She gave two reasons for this choice — the significant age difference between her and a potential child, and the complex nature of her marriage. In her words: “I got married to...married man, I'm suffering...let the pain be with me only. But if my child asks, 'Where's papa?' what do I say? If something happens to...child in...middle of...night, I can't call him...that's why I never wanted...child.”

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Over the decades, Aruna Irani went on to feature in over 500 films across Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, and Kannada cinema. She holds the distinction of receiving the highest number of nominations in the Best Supporting Actress category, earning praise for her roles in films such as Farz, Bobby, Fakira, Sargam, Love Story, Rocky, Beta, Suhaag, and many more.

Later in her career, she transitioned seamlessly to television, where she continued to charm audiences in character roles.