Veteran actor Zeenat Aman was one of the biggest stars of the 1970s, earning labels such as the ‘sex symbol’ and ‘bold’ actress for playing glamorous and unconventional characters on screen. While those roles defined her public image for decades, Zeenat says they never reflected who she really was. In a recent interview, she spoke about the disconnect between her on-screen persona and her real personality, while also recalling how filmmakers were more interested in her appearance than her creative input.Zeenat said in an interview with Shubra Aiyappa on her YouTube channel, “I always found that there was such disparity between what was projected about me, and the person that I truly was. The sex symbol tag stayed with me for a very long time. When people would meet me, they would realise that I was truly nothing like the characters I portrayed.” Reflecting on working in the film industry during that period, Zeenat revealed that film sets were overwhelmingly male-dominated. Apart from her hairdresser, she was often the only woman present. Despite being the lead actress, she said she had little say in shaping her characters or their portrayal, as the focus remained largely on her appearance. “Nobody was interested in me being cerebral. They were only interested in gayegi, nachegi, do dialogue bolegi, bheegegi, barish mein(singing, dancing, saying two dialogues, getting wet in the rain),” she said. Zeenat also opened up about her sense of fashion and how her exposure to global trends influenced her style after returning to India from the US. She said costume design was usually a collaborative effort with celebrated designers such as Bhanu Athaiya. However, she revealed that if anything, her own suggestions were often more restrained than what filmmakers wanted. When asked whether her ideas were dismissed for being too daring, Zeenat laughed and said, “On the contrary, I feel that my contributions were always modest and the additions that people wanted were not so modest. It has happened to me on several films where they wanted more cleavage, more of the back showing, that came from the production.” The veteran actor also addressed the issue of unequal pay in the film industry, saying the reasons behind the disparity remain rooted in a patriarchal system. According to her, men have traditionally controlled financial decisions in commercial cinema, which has contributed to the gender pay gap. “Honestly, I think the financial powers lie mostly with men. Men are in charge of the finances and it is still a very patriarchal society and any commercial cinema, caters to that,” she said, adding that while the industry has made some progress over the years, change has been gradual.
