Actor Ali Fazal marked the 6th death anniversary of his mother on 17 June 2025 with a deeply personal Instagram post, sharing unseen photographs and reflecting on grief, gratitude, and the echoes he sees of her in his daughter Zuneyra. The tribute offered a rare, unguarded window into the 'Mirzapur' actor's inner world, resonating widely with fans.

The Post and What He Shared

Fazal dropped two unseen photographs of his mother from her younger years on his official Instagram handle, alongside a selfie of the two of them together. In his caption, he wrote: 'Take care black bird!! And thanks for working hard to making me feel alive. We both died a day this day some days ago.. you were buried and i remained. Each day since, is a bonus.. a gift. Another day apart from you but towards you. In honour of you in debt to you.'

The post was raw and unpolished — deliberately so, retaining the original spelling and punctuation as he wrote it, a choice that underlined its sincerity.

Seeing His Mother in His Daughter

Fazal, who shares daughter Zuneyra with actor Richa Chadha, said he finds a living reflection of his mother in the child. 'Zuni is a wonderful projection of you. You wouldve been a funny ole grandmum heh.. i play it out sometimes,' he wrote, imagining the grandmother his mother would have been — playful, warm, and irreverent.

He closed the post on a note of deliberate gratitude: 'Just posting here to keep a reminder for me — that this all of this is a gift — i am thankful. Until then Amma.'

Background: Loss and Grief Over Six Years

Ali Fazal's mother passed away on 17 June 2020 in Lucknow, owing to health complications. Her death came during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, a period that made mourning especially isolating for many families across India.

This is not the first time Fazal has marked the day publicly. Last year, on the 5th death anniversary, he wrote about bidding farewell to two people simultaneously — his mother and the younger version of himself. 'There are two people i had to say goodbye to this day 5 years ago — One my mother and the other that little boy me,' he shared, adding that a new part of himself had since 'come in swinging from the ends of the universe.'

A Pattern of Honest Public Grief

Fazal's annual tributes have become a quiet ritual that stands apart from the curated positivity common on celebrity social media. Each year, his posts have grown more layered — moving from raw loss to something approaching acceptance, without ever fully letting go. Notably, the arrival of daughter Zuneyra appears to have added a new dimension to how he processes the absence, finding continuity rather than only rupture.

As Zuneyra grows older, Fazal's posts suggest he is constructing an imagined relationship between grandmother and grandchild — a tribute that looks forward even as it mourns.