She was one of the highest-paid actresses of her time in Bollywood. But Zeenat Aman, who was at her career’s peak in the 1970s and 80s, wishes she had been paid better and there had been more professionalism on sets at the time.
The actress believes things have become better for actors nowadays. “The whole scenario has changed for the better with personalised vanity trailers.
“Also, the whole corporate culture and the facilities are much better,” the 64-year-old actress said in an email.
When asked about how the industry has changed, she said, laughing, “I wish we had good pay cheques.”
Professional times
She added: “Well, I wish that time professionalism and corporate ethos could have [been] much better.”
Before taking on Bollywood, Aman entered the Miss India contest, where she ended as the third runner-up. She went on to compete in the Miss Asia/Pacific pagent and brought home the crown. With her performances in Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Manoranjan and Dhund, she redefined the role of the modern woman in Hindi cinema in the 1970s and payed homage to subtle sensuality in films such as Satyam Shivam Sundaram and Qurbani.
After such a successful stint in Bollywood, why has she limited her appearances on the big screen? “I will do another film now only when it’s something worth my while. There are not many roles for actresses my age. In fact, the opportunities are almost non-existent and interesting roles are a rare exception,” said the actress, who recently worked on a youth-based web series called Love, Life and Screw Ups!!!
She appreciates the “fabulous” work that today’s actresses are doing. “They are all gorgeous as well as talented. They are doing an amazing job. In our films, you have to be multifaceted. You have to be able to dance, act and do stunts, and they all are doing all of that,” Aman said.
She feels that “the time has changed now with small screen and web-series culture”.
However, Aman has no problem keeping up. She was in the capital, New Delhi, last week where she turned showstopper for jewellery designer Akassh K. Aggarwal at India Runway Week.
Positive feedback
“It is a feel-good factor when you get an instant reaction from the audience. When Akassh approached me for his show and after seeing his jewellery, I couldn’t say no. I got nostalgic when I walked the ramp to one of my favourite tracks Chura liya hai tumne jo dil ko, and Dum maaro dum,” she said.
She also has a tip for fashionistas. “Be comfortable in what you wear. If you are comfortable with what you are wearing, you will always feel confident and when you are confident, you project the real person that exists within you.”
