Veteran actor Zeenat Aman has opened up about one of the biggest challenges she faced during her Bollywood career being known more for her glamorous image than her acting abilities.
In a recent conversation on Shubra Aiyappa’s YouTube channel, the 74-year-old actor spoke candidly about how the film industry often reduced her to a “sex symbol,” despite there being much more to her as a person and performer.
Looking back at her career, Zeenat said there was always a huge gap between the image people had of her and who she really was.
“I always felt there was a disparity between what people thought I was and who I actually am. The ‘sex symbol’ tag stayed with me for a very long time. Whenever people met me personally, they realised I was nothing like the characters I played on screen,” she said.
The actor revealed that many filmmakers were more interested in highlighting her appearance than giving her meaningful roles.
“They weren’t interested in seeing my intellectual side. They only wanted me to sing, dance, deliver a couple of dialogues and get drenched in the rain,” Zeenat recalled.
She also shared that on several film sets, producers would ask for more revealing costumes.
“There were many films where the production team wanted more cleavage or more of my back to be shown. Those suggestions usually came from the production side, not from me,” she said.
Zeenat became one of Bollywood’s biggest stars in the 1970s and 1980s after winning the Miss Asia Pacific International title in 1970. She went on to deliver memorable performances in films like Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Yaadon Ki Baaraat, Don, Qurbani, Dostana, Dharam Veer and Satyam Shivam Sundaram.
Her role as Rupa in Satyam Shivam Sundaram created a huge controversy at the time because of its bold styling. However, Zeenat has always defended the film, saying there was nothing obscene about the human body.
In an earlier Instagram post, she explained that as an actor, she trusted the director’s vision and never viewed those scenes as provocative.
“The set is never a sensual place. Every movement is carefully choreographed and performed in front of dozens of crew members. Rupa’s sensuality was only one aspect of the character—it was never the entire story,” she had written.
Even decades after redefining the image of women in Hindi cinema, Zeenat believes that audiences often remembered her glamour more than her performances. Her latest remarks have sparked conversations about how actresses of her era were frequently judged by their appearance rather than their craft.
On the work front, Zeenat Aman will next be seen in Bun Tikki, alongside Shabana Azmi, in a film directed by Faraaz Arif Ansari. She was last seen in the Netflix series The Royals, which has been renewed for a second season despite receiving mixed reviews.
