Everyone knows about the Bhatt family’s acting legacy, right? We’ve got superstar Alia Bhatt, her stepsister Pooja Bhatt, mom Soni Razdan, and of course, their cousin Emraan Hashmi. But what if I told you the first star in their family was someone else entirely? Meet Purnima Das Verma, Alia’s grandaunt and Emraan’s grandmother, an actress who worked with legends like Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand.
Purnima was the younger sister of Mahesh Bhatt’s mother, Shirin. Her birth name was Meherbano Mohammad Ali. She had to start working in films to earn a living after her first husband, Syed Shauqat Hashmi, moved to Pakistan after the Partition. This is the “Hashmi” connection, their son, Anwar Hashmi, is Emraan Hashmi’s father!
A Career With Legends
She was given the screen name Purnima and got her start in the late 1940s. She quickly became a known face, working in big films like Patanga (1949), Jogan (1950) with Dilip Kumar, Baadal (1951) with Madhubala, and Jaal (1952) with Dev Anand. She later married filmmaker Bhagwan Das Verma, but when their financial condition worsened, she reportedly had to sell her bungalow and return to acting to support her family.
The Zanjeer And Naam Connection
This time, Purnima returned to the screen in strong character roles. Her most remembered and iconic role came in 1To 1973. She played the mother (Sumitra) of Inspector Vijay Khanna, played by Amitabh Bachchan, in the blockbuster Zanjeer. That’s right, she was the original “Maa” in Big B’s angry young man film! She also played a key role as Sanjay Dutt’s grandmother in her nephew Mahesh Bhatt’s own classic film, Naam (1986).
Her Legacy In The Family
Purnima stopped acting after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. She passed away in 2013 at the age of 79. When she died, Mahesh Bhatt wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “My aunt Purnima, the first star of our family… has entered the sunset moments of her life.” While her son Anwar’s acting career didn’t take off, her grandson Emraan Hashmi fulfilled that dream. Today, Alia Bhatt and Pooja Bhatt are carrying forward the incredible acting legacy that their grandaunt Purnima started all those decades ago.
About Alia Bhatt
Alia Bhatt is one of the top actresses in Bollywood. She is the daughter of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and actress Soni Razdan. She made her debut in Student of the Year (2012) and has given acclaimed performances in films like Gangubai Kathiawadi, Raazi, and Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. She is married to actor Ranbir Kapoor.
(Also read: EXCLUSIVE: Shraddha Kapoor’s Massive 2026-27 Lineup; From A Dance Biopic To Stree 3 )
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