Farah Khan and Sajid Khan’s mother, Menka Irani, passed away on Friday, July 26, at 3 am at the age of 79. Filmmaker and casting director Mukesh Chhabra confirmed the news.

Menka Irani had been unwell for some time and was hospitalized. She was the sister of former child actors Daisy Irani and Honey Irani. Recently, Menka featured in Farah’s vlog.

On July 12, Farah Khan took to social media to wish her mother a happy birthday, hinting at her failing health. She shared heartfelt photos, writing, ‘We all take our mothers for granted… especially me! This last month has been a revelation on how much I love my mom Menka. She’s been the strongest, bravest person I’ve ever seen… sense of humor intact even after multiple surgeries. Happy birthday, mom! Today’s a good day to come back home. Can’t wait for you to get strong enough to start fighting with me again. I love you.’

Farah has often spoken about the difficult times her family faced after her father’s death. In an interview with Radio Nasha, she shared, “I belonged to a filmy family, but by the time I turned five, we were the poor cousins. We’d lost all our money, dad’s film had flopped. We had a riches-to-rags story. Sajid, our mother Menka, and I were the charity cases. But, of course, they were very nice to us. They let us stay in their house.”