Zeenat Aman graces Vogue cover; says she chose ‘roles that pushed the envelope’

Zeenat Aman made her Instagram debut earlier this year, and since then, she has been sharing some rare glimpses from her life.

The actor, who has been part of the industry for over 5 decades, continues to rule hearts and she was recently featured on the cover page of Vogue India.

In an interview with the magazine, she opened up about her life, career, family, and much more.
She shared how people had 'far more interest' in her looks than her intellect.

Zeenat said that though she leveraged her looks, she 'chose roles that pushed the envelope'.

Zeenat said, ‘I realised early on that the world desired youth and beauty from women in the film industry. So I leveraged my looks, but I also chose roles that pushed the envelope. Still, there was far more interest in my face and figure than there ever was in my intellect. This is one reason that I have loved ageing—it has evened the scales.’

She also added, ‘I have led a life of breathtaking highs and profound lows. There is nothing I regret, and nobody that I owe. Any shame or fear that has ever dogged me has long evaporated. There are incidents in my life that the public cling to and that are dredged up again and again. I am aware of these, and becoming increasingly immune to them. My life is not defined by a few bad days that transpired many decades ago, and I need neither sympathy nor defence. I am content in myself.’

Zeenat also talked about how her appearance on social media is being hailed as a ‘comeback’, with some even referring to it as her ‘second innings’.

She shared, ‘It took months for my younger son Zahaan and his partner, Cara, to convince me to join Instagram. Seven, to be precise. I had so many trepidations: who would have the patience to help me run my account? Would my privacy be in jeopardy? Isn’t all this a young person’s game? They chipped away at my opposition, until my walls crumbled. “People are going to love hearing from you. You’re Zeenat Aman!” they repeated ad nauseam until I finally agreed out of sheer exasperation. Then they brought in their friend Tanya to click some pictures of me at home, and voila, an Instagram account was born.’

‘I didn’t realise how much being able to publicly speak my own truths would delight me. As a leading actor in the ’70s, I was always a subject of conversation, but almost never on my own terms. The gossip and perceptions could be suffocating, and there was rarely recourse to set the record straight. On Instagram, I have found the freedom to express myself. It’s liberating, and consequently, I haven’t accepted a single interview request that’s come my way since February,’ she added.

Zeenat further said, ‘This isn’t a comeback, but it is something of a coming around. I am only today acknowledging the impact of my career on the lives of thousands of strangers. That people remember my work and were positively influenced by it makes me happy. They may not know me personally, but I represent something to them—perhaps a beautiful memory or a moment of empowerment—and that is an invaluable privilege.’

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