This actress remained alone despite 5 marriages, went bankrupt, died penniless; her funeral was...

The actress we're talking about was born in Punjab, which was part of Pakistan before the country was divided. She grew up in Lahore. When her elder sister married into a prominent family in Mumbai, she moved to Mumbai with her sister

. Her name was Khurshid Begum. She was beautiful, and Sohrab Modi helped her become an actress, giving her the screen name Meena.

According to reports, Khurshid Begum was born into a very poor family. She was the second eldest among four siblings. Although they came from a landowner family, they lost all their property when her father’s assets were seized, leaving them without any means of income.

Due to financial hardship, her father frequently abused his daughters and wife. He arranged for Khurshid’s elder sister, Wazir Begum, to marry a well-settled man, and Wazir moved to Mumbai after the marriage. Wazir then invited Khurshid and their mother to Mumbai with the intention of finding a good match for Khurshid.

One day, Khurshid Begum's sister and brother-in-law took her to the launch of a film, which was Sohrab Modi's Sikandar. Khurshid Begum was very beautiful, and Sohrab Modi was so impressed by her that he decided to cast her in his film. He offered her the role of 'Aambi,' the sister of the Taxila King, in Sikandar and signed her on for the contract.

When Sikandar was successful, Meena received offers to work in other films, including Shalimar from Roup Kumar and Humayun from Mehboob Khan. She started getting numerous offers, and her family's financial situation began to improve.

However, Meena was suddenly served a notice from Sohrab Modi, stating that she had signed a contract for three films with him and was therefore not allowed to sign any other films. The notice demanded a penalty of three lakh rupees for breaching the contract. Meena was astonished, as she had only signed a contract for one film, not three.

After negotiating with Sohrab Modi and his wife, Meena managed to reduce the penalty amount to thirty thousand rupees. Eventually, after reaching this settlement, Sohrab Modi released Meena from the contract.

Meena's first marriage was to actor-producer-director Zahur Raja, whom she met during the filming of *Sikandar*. Her second marriage was to actor Al Nasir, with whom she separated by the mid-40s; he later married actress Veena.

Meena's third marriage was to Roop K Shorey, who gave her the screen name Meena Shorey. They split after a trip to Pakistan when Meena chose to stay there while Roop returned to India.

Her fourth marriage was to Pakistani cinematographer and producer Raza Mir, and her fifth was to Asad Bokhari, her co-star in *Jamalo*.

Meena had three children, including two sons from one of her marriages, and later adopted a daughter.

Despite achieving early success and having a promising career, Meena Shorey faced financial difficulties in her later years. From 1974-75 onward, she struggled with economic hardship. Meena passed away in Pakistan on February 9, 1989. In her final moments, none of her five husbands were present, and all arrangements for her last rites, including the funeral expenses, were covered through donations.