Meena Kumari had to go through TT & Halala

A couple of days ago, a post went viral on social media. It says how yesteryear actor Meena Kumari too was a victim of instant triple talaq. Meena Kumari's husband Kamal Amrohi is said to have uttered the three dreaded words, "Talaq, Talaq, Talaq," in a fit of anger. Once he had the time to ponder over the issue coolly, Amrohi is said to have regretted his decision of giving Meena Kumari the triple talaq.

Meena is said to have performed the Nikaah Halala with Amanullah Khan (Zeenat Aman's father), and then returned to Kamal Amrohi.

SOURCE OF THE POST

First things first. The post that was shared widely on Twitter came on August 17, right after August 16's India Today investigation on the Nikaah Halala was telecast. The photo credits a certain "Mukesh Triveni Singh" on Facebook.

A CLOSER LOOK

Now, take a look at this Mukesh Triveni Singh's profile on Facebook. His name is followed by "Kattar Hindu Yoddha" in Hindi, within brackets. Need we say more?

FACTS FIRST

Even for a moment if we take this person's words on Meena Kumari seriously, we need to look at certain facts.

There is no evidence that anything of the sort ever happened between Amrohi and Kumari. In his biography of the Tragedy Queen, titled Meena Kumari - The Classic Biography, journalist Vinod Mehta did not mention anything about the triple talaq. His book delved into every aspect of ''his heroine's" life but the triple talaq episode. Mehta mentioned how Meena Kumari walked out of Kamal Amrohi's house and refused to talk to him. But there is no talk of a divorce. Mehta's book even goes on to quote Kamal Amrohi, "Look what happened to her after she left my home."

MEENA KUMARI AND KAMAL AMROHI

It is known that Meena Kumari was married to Kamal Amrohi from 1952 to her death in 1972. Their marriage was fraught with several troubles, from allegations of domestic violence against Amrohi, to Meena Kumari's many flings including that with Dharmendra.

'SHE WASN'T FREE EITHER'

"Dharmendra was a married man. He had a son and a simple wife. Meena was still officially Kamal Amrohi's wife, so she wasn't free either," wrote Mehta. A man who did some extensive research on the life of Meena Kumari before publishing the biography.

In his book, Mehta wrote, "When her (Meena Kumari's) star started rising, his went down. I asked Kamal Amrohi if indeed he had hit her as per many rumors. He completely denied it, saying that such a thing was totally against his upbringing. But six different people told me that there was physical violence in their relationship. Those were the days when Meena Kumari would not come back to Rembrandt till late at night."

FINAL NAIL IN THE COFFIN

It was in 1964 that Meena and Kamal's marriage finally crumbled. Meena was in her make-up room during the mahurat of the film Pinjre Ke Panchhi when Amrohi's assistant Baqar Ali slapped her. Her crime? She insisted that lyricist Gulzar be let into her make-up room, and Amrohi's diktat for his wife spelt otherwise. Meena Kumari told Baqar Ali to tell Amrohi, "Tell Kamal sahab I will not be coming home tonight."

Meena Kumari moved in with her sister Madhu, who was married to actor Mehmood. Despite Kamal Amrohi's efforts to reconcile their differences, Meena Kumari never went back to Amrohi's house.

Still, no mention of a "Talaq, Talaq, Talaq."

EXPERT-SPEAK

After the post on Meena Kumari and Kamal Amrohi went viral on Twitter, author-columnist Rana Safvi decided to clear the air. She wrote, "Nonsense. She did not do any such thing. Besides Meena Kumari & Kamal Amrohi were Shias who don't have triple talaq or halala."

http://m.indiatoday.in/story/meena-kumari-triple-talaq-kamal-amrohi-exposed/1/1032054.html