When Sanjay Khan revealed he never slapped Zeenat Aman, said "her eye injury was hereditary, her mom..."

Zeenat Aman and Sanjay Khan

Bollywood veteran actor Sanjay Khan had once addressed long-standing rumours regarding his tumultuous marriage to actress Zeenat Aman, which ended in 1979 after just a year.

Their relationship had already been marked by controversy, including accusations of physical abuse. The most well-known allegation was that Sanjay Khan had slapped Zeenat Aman during an argument, causing a serious injury to her left eye.

However, Sanjay Khan gave his version of the events, which he believes was misrepresented in the media. In an old radio interview with Hrishikesh Kannan, Sanjay Khan had clarified his stance for the first.

Sanjay recalled his emotional state after the release of his film Abdullah in 1980, noting that although he received several lucrative offers, he chose to stay away from films for a while. He explained, “Post the release of Abdullah, I had gotten offers from many producers to work in some big films, which I didn’t take. I was in self-exile for four years. I was so pained and horrified by the one-sidedness of the entire story. Nobody even asked me what happened. This was a kind of well-planned PR attack against me. It came like a blitzkrieg and mentally I was very disturbed. The facts were totally and radically opposite.”

Sanjay Khan denied the claim that he was responsible for Zeenat losing her eye, which he says has become a part of the narrative surrounding their marriage.

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He vehemently denied any abuse, stating, “I was even accused of being responsible for her losing her eye. This is not right.” He went on to say that during the period from 1981 to 1984, Zeenat appeared in several films without any noticeable eye problems, and that her eventual squint was due to hereditary factors, not from any physical altercation.

“If you see from 1981 to 1984, she has done several films and has perfect eyes. Later on in life, she became a little bit squint because her mother was squinted a little bit. This was the true story. It was hereditary and was labeled on me that I slapped her," Sanjay said. “I never slapped her. This was blasphemy."

He further elaborated that his image was tarnished by the media, claiming that the incident was exaggerated beyond recognition.

"I have always respected all the leading ladies I worked with, and never had an incident with anybody. I don’t have any angst against the lady concerned. This was exaggerated to the point one could not believe and it was done by one particular journalist who had some angst with me," Sanjay added. According to him, this press coverage led to a significant personal and professional setback, as he chose to step back from the film industry for several years. “As a result, I did not work in films for 4-5 years. This incident kept me back because I was very unjustly treated. It was not true."

Sanjay reflected on the mental anguish he experienced, saying, “It mentally tortured me. I met her the very next day and she was perfectly okay. Then the press started this nonsense.”

Further stressing on his stance, Sanjay Khan said he was very close to legendary Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand who never questioned him ever about the incident which means he had not done anything wrong.

He stated, “One thing is very pertinent to note that neither Raj Kapoor nor Dev Anand called me even once to ask me what happened. Raj Kapoor was very close to me and I also knew Dev Sahab, I respected him a lot. If they felt some injury was done by me to her, they would have definitely asked me, especially Raj ji. So it speaks a lot about the person."

Ultimately, Sanjay Khan maintained that he had never harmed Zeenat Aman or caused her any mental distress. “I have done no harm to anyone in my life. I have never harmed her or disturbed her mentally. It was a one-sided thing," he concluded, continuing to assert his innocence in the face of decades of allegations. His reflections highlight the deep personal impact of the scandal, which continues to cast a shadow over his career.