In a captivating interview, veteran actress Zeenat Aman discusses her father's role in "Mughal-e-Azam," her debut in the film industry, her relationship with Dev Anand, and her iconic role in "Don." Join her on a journey through her remarkable career and personal connections in this insightful conversation.
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00:00 Dum Maro Dum is a number one song in the history of Indian cinema
00:08 I want to start speaking about your father
00:14 Your father Amanullah Khan was a very eminent writer. He wrote Mughal-e-Azam
00:20 Tell us about the influence of him in your life.
00:25 My father, Amanullah Khan, he wrote the screenplay and dialogues of Mughal-e-Azam and also Pakiza
00:34 He was prolific in Urdu
00:40 I have a whole compilation of all his poems which I'm looking to publish at some point
00:48 but unfortunately
00:51 I did not spend much time with him. My parents were separated when I was about two years old and I lived with my mother
00:59 Though I cannot claim to have any knowledge of the Urdu language
01:05 I went to a common school. I studied in America and I came back and I had to start my career
01:13 You know learning Hindi all over again.
01:18 Do you remember the first shot you gave, your first time when you faced the camera? What was the experience like?
01:24 Shiri, I was stunned. It was for O.P. Relman's Halchand
01:31 And it was in famous studio
01:33 And I walked onto the set and it was so grey
01:38 It was so drab. It was so dreary. I looked at him and I said sir
01:46 Where is this glamour? Because at that time neither had I joined films nor had I won Miss Asia
01:53 So I thought, where is this glamour?
01:56 He used to call me Babusha because that's my name. He said Babusha, you are supposed to be the glamour
02:03 That was my first introduction to my first sequence in Hindi cinema
02:13 Your breakthrough was really Hariram Hare Krishna
02:17 And Dum Maro Dum
02:21 You became a rage with the new generation. Can you talk about that?
02:25 About Dum Maro Dum?
02:27 Actually, it's a song that has stood the test of time. I came to know recently that there was a survey and
02:39 Dum Maro Dum is the number one song in the history of Indian cinema
02:47 It doesn't get more prolific than that
02:52 We just did Dev Saab's
02:57 You know, we did a whole retrospective in so many cities. I believe it was amazingly successful, Shiri. God bless you. You are doing amazing work
03:05 Tell us about what you feel about your relationship with Dev Saab. Dev Saab was my mentor
03:10 Because of Hariram Hare Krishna
03:14 Because of the wonderful music, Phoolon Ka Taaron Ka
03:17 Brother-sister relationship, the songs, the music. I became accepted in
03:25 Hindi cinema
03:28 I was accepted. People liked the role of Janice Jasbir. And then I worked in two more films with Navketan
03:36 Heera Panna, Ishkish Kishk and I did multiple other films with Dev Saab
03:41 So if it wasn't for Dev Saab, I would not have had such a meteoric rise in the business
03:49 You had a definite impact on the characterization of the heroine in Hindi cinema
03:56 And you formed a new form of sexual politics in the 70s. How would you look at that?
04:01 A new form of what?
04:03 New form of feminism
04:07 New form
04:09 What did that look like?
04:11 Listen, let me see. It was not my intent. It was not my design. My first film I had been accepted as a
04:20 Bad girl with a heart of gold. She had a reason to be who she was
04:25 So producers started casting me in films like that. A lot of grey shades
04:32 You know with the line between the heroine and the vamp was blurred a little bit. Otherwise, it was very clear cut
04:38 Either you were good or you were bad, but I was given roles. It was a good bad girl, a bad good girl
04:46 and I
04:48 Think because of that people feel that I changed the concept of the Indian leading lady
04:56 If you have to look back at some of the roles you played which one means the most to you?
05:03 No, no, no, no
05:06 It's like having a dozen children and saying who's your favorite
05:10 This is not possible
05:14 I had a very long journey and there were many many milestones
05:19 Of course Hariravali Krishna, Don, Kurbani, Sathyam Shivam Sundaram
05:25 Roti Kapra Makan, I mean a lot of films. Dostarana, Laawaris, many many films
05:35 I don't have a favorite
05:39 So let's talk about Don as we are going to be screening it. Yes. Tell us about how you got the role
05:45 And how did you prepare for it? What was the the whole shooting atmosphere?
05:49 See we were shooting for a film called Roti Kapra Makan
05:55 Narendra Modi Rani was a camera person
05:58 Chanda Bharat was a chief assistant director. Of course Amit was in that and I was in that
06:04 And at some point, I don't know what all was happening with them behind the scenes what their
06:11 Financial situations. I was just not aware
06:13 they approached me they said they were planning a project called Don and
06:18 There was this role and
06:22 I just requested Chandra. I said Chandra I want to do something. I just don't want to be you know
06:29 He said don't worry. We'll involve you in all the action and the drama and everything. So I was very excited
06:36 Ji
06:38 The whole costumes and the whole attitude and that was so cool in that time
06:44 Where did you I mean, how did that come about?
06:46 I would talk about it with my director and just go for it. Yeah
06:52 There was a lot of me in that truly
06:57 Yeah, and it's just just an amazing
07:00 Film and even now it's sort of Don 3 is coming out. I mean they're gonna shoot Don 3
07:07 Roma is a legend
07:11 Jung Lee
07:18 Yeah
07:25 Thank you
07:27 You you've obviously heard what the film and its foundation has been doing and sorry, I'm not plugging the foundation here
07:34 But it's also important for us to to understand what artists feel
07:41 Specifically because how do you look at the role of the foundation in today's times?
07:45 How do you look at the role of the film heritage foundation in today's time, you know
07:52 She I said it earlier this evening. I think it is
07:55 absolutely
07:58 Exceptional that all these projects that are old and people didn't look after the negatives people
08:05 They didn't look after anything. They were not thinking of the future the fact that you have
08:09 looked into this and revived all of this and
08:13 Brought it back to today where people can watch it and enjoy it and it is part of our culture
08:22 Heritage one way or the other willy-nilly it is
08:25 Indian cinema it's part of our culture, you know the films that we made our songs our
08:34 Storytelling our over the drama and music and all of that
08:39 It's wonderful, it's absolutely wonderful and I do congratulate you for the incredible work that you're doing not just with features
08:48 But with documentaries with regional films, you know with films across the board. So I
08:55 Think one one question which everybody would want to know is
09:05 You were not on social media and suddenly you are now on social media and what has been the experience so far?
09:14 Actually, my family, you know, of course to me is the heart of his partner
09:19 Yeah partners in crime who made me join social media and it's a lot of fun because I find that
09:25 When you have a platform just you know
09:29 Where you can speak your own truth and people hear your voice from you not other people's perception
09:36 Of you or your reality, but you can put forth your reality the way it is in front of people
09:43 I have been
09:45 Overwhelmed by the love that I have received
09:49 So to all of you who do follow me and have liked what I have put out there. Thank you. So very
09:57 (Applause)
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