New Delhi, Nov 19 At a time when screens demanded perfection from their leading ladies, Zeenat Aman walked into Satyam Shivam Sundaram wearing a half disfigured face but with complete conviction. As she turns 74 on November 19, the original diva says her choice had nothing to do with defiance or symbolism as she simply wanted to take on a role that broke the mould of her long-held “westernised” image.
Looking back at Hindi cinema of the 1970s and 1980s, beauty was almost always tied to a sense of flawless perfection. Yet, there were a few striking exceptions such as Smita Patil, Shabana Azmi, Rekha and Zeenat Aman, who brought a different kind of presence to the screen.
Talking to IANS exclusively, Zeenat Aman shared that she never approached the role with the kind of thematic weight audiences often attach to it today.
“I mean, there was no such heavy-duty analysis. Nothing like that. No. It's just that I loved to have had the opportunity to play this part with such a great filmmaker like Raj Kapoor,” Zeenat Aman told IANS.
Directed by Raj Kapoor, 'Satyam Shivam Sundaram' talks about the differences between physical and spiritual love. It follows the story of Shashi Kapoor’s character Rajeev, who falls in love with Zeenat Aman’s Roopa, a beautiful singer who hides the fact that half her face is disfigured. However, he soon discovers her secret after marriage and begins to ignore her.
She added: “And because I had been typecast in a very westernised kind of image, it was a challenge for me to play something so different. So, yeah, I wanted to do it, and I did it, and my director said, ‘Shed your inhibitions and just be in every aspect of this character.’ And I tried.”
In other news, Zeenat Aman’s latest work includes narrating a compelling 10-part documentary series christened 'Embers of Hope: The Fight for Our Future' for the Discovery Channel.
The series, which started airing on November 16, is by Mobius Foundation and Warner Bros. Discovery. With new episodes available every Sunday at 7.30 p.m. on the Discovery Channel and Animal Planet.
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