Veteran actress Zeenat Aman was a trendsetter in the Hindi film industry during her prime and continues to captivate audiences with her progressive thinking. Throughout her illustrious career, she has worked alongside several renowned actors, including the legendary Rajesh Khanna. She shared the screen with him in movies such as "Aashiq Hoon Baharon Ka," "Ajanabee," "Chhailla Babu," and "Jaanwar." In a recent interview, the ever-confident Zeenat Aman reminisced about an incident early in her career when she felt somewhat intimidated by Rajesh Khanna. To ensure she wouldn't fumble her lines in front of the superstar, she meticulously memorized her dialogues. Despite her nervousness, she maintained a brave face and delivered her performance confidently.
The veteran actress recalled, “I remember when I had just started in the film industry, and Rajesh Khanna was the phenomenon. Oh my god, I mugged up all my lines so that I wouldn’t flub a single thing. I was totally intimidated by him, but did I show him? Not at all. I went to him, and I performed. So, when I went back to my makeup room, I was like, ‘Wow. I just gave a shot with a superstar.’ I think that’s the right attitude to have.”
Zeenat Aman is known for her candidness and willingness to address social issues. She has spoken openly about various topics, including live-in relationships. In a lengthy Instagram post, Zeenat emphasized that couples should live together before getting married. This viewpoint sparked controversy among more conservative circles, leading to backlash. As a result, Zeenat briefly stepped away from social media. However, she returned with a thought-provoking post on the “culture of easy outrage” online. On May 31, 2024, she posted a picture of herself in a beautiful pastel summer outfit, explaining in the caption that she took a break because she was tired of seeing her own face on her social media grid.
Reflecting on how society has changed over the decades, she wrote, “Well, hello there! Here I am, photographed through the window of @zanuski’s car yesterday. I took an unplanned social media break. Mostly because I got tired of seeing my own face on my grid! This time to myself really led me to ruminate on how different the world is today from when I started out. It’s quite unrecognizable from what I lived through in the 70s.”
In her note, Zeenat expressed her fascination with the transformative impact of the internet on society, acknowledging both its benefits and drawbacks. She noted that today, people can build careers using just their smartphones, whereas in her time, only those with certain privileges could achieve success. Zeenat also highlighted the tendency of people to make hurtful comments online without much thought, attributing this to a “bored society” that has lost touch with the complexities of the world. Her reflections offer a profound perspective on the evolution of societal norms and the influence of technology on modern life.
Image Source: Instagram