Zeenat Aman’s Instagram handle is a treasure trove of special anecdotes. From interesting travel tales to fond movie memories and thoughtful insights, the veteran actress is an open book when it comes to her social media posts. On Tuesday, she shared the story of how the late actor-filmmaker Raj Kapoor cast her as Rupa in the hit 1978 musical romance Satyam Shivam Sundaram. As she teased Raj Kapoor’s upcoming 100th birth anniversary (December 14), Zeenat Aman described Satyam Shivam Sundaram as “a defining anecdote” from her career. She wrote, “In December we will mark the 100th birth anniversary of the extraordinary Raj Kapoor. I have rehashed the story of how he came to cast me as Rupa in Satyam Shivam Sundaram countless times, but here it is for Instagram. A defining anecdote from my career.”
Zeenat Aman retraced her steps back to the 1982 Raj Kapoor-led drama Vakil Babu. She said, “It was 1981, and we were shooting Vakil Babu. Rajji (Raj Kapoor) was playing the titular role, while his younger brother Shashi Kapoor and I were playing leading roles as each other’s love interests. In between takes, while the technicians changed sets and rigged lights, we cast members often found ourselves with time to kill. Now Rajji had a radical approach to his art, and he was brimming with enthusiasm for a film he wanted to make. For days he regaled us with his idea for a story about a man who falls in love with a woman’s voice but can’t quite reconcile himself to her appearance.”
Zeenat Aman added that Raj Kapoor “never once hinted” that she could be a part of the project. “He spoke with unfettered and rousing passion, but never once even hinted that I could be a part of this film. I was already a star in my own right, and his lack of interest in casting me began to chafe. I knew that my ‘modern image’, complete with mini skirts and boots, was the culprit. So I determined to take matters into my own hands,” she said.
Revealing how she presented herself as Rupa in front of Raj Kapoor, Zeenat Aman continued, “I knew that Rajji spent much of his spare time at ‘The Cottage’ set on the grounds of his sprawling R.K. Studio. It was here that he would hold meetings or host small events, often presiding over these gathering from a pristine mattress placed on the floor. So I made my move. One evening, having wrapped up early from the shoot, I spent an extra 30 minutes in my dressing room making myself up in my own interpretation of Rupa. I put on a ghagra choli, braided my hair with a parandi, and then stuck tissue paper onto my face with glue in an effort to scar my visage.”
“When I reached The Cottage I was greeted at the door by John, Rajji’s right-hand man. He looked quizzically at me but followed my request – ‘Saabji ko kaho ki Rupa ayi hai’,” signed off Zeenat Aman, before adding that she would be continuing the story the next day.
Zeenat Aman has appeared in movies like Don, Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Yaadon Ki Baraat and Dostana, Qurbani. She will next be seen in Faraz Arif Ansari’s Bun Tikki.
