Zeenat Aman shared this image. (Courtesy: ZeenatAman)
Veteran actress Zeenat Aman has shared a health update on Instagram. The 71-year-old said that she was diagnosed with a condition known as ptosis. She added, “There has been an elephant in the room with me for the past 40 years. It is time to show this elephant the door. I have a condition known as ptosis - the result of an injury I suffered many decades ago that damaged the muscles around my right eye. Over the years, it caused my eyelid to drop further and further. And a few years ago it became so acute that it began to obstruct my vision. Zeenat Aman's eye condition has been a topic of discussion on social media. A report by Hindustan Times claimed that the actress picked up the injury after a fight with her ex-husband Sanjay Khan.
Zeenat Aman added that the operation took place on May 19 at a hospital in Mumbai. The actress said, “Recovery has been slow, steady and is ongoing. But I'm happy to share that my vision is so much clearer now.” Zeenat Aman has also shared a set of pictures from her time at the hospital. In an elaborate note, she said, “On 18th May 2023, I shot for the cover of Vogue India. On 19th May 2023, I woke up early in the morning, packed a small suitcase, and kissed Lily on her muzzle. Then Zahaan and Cara drove me to Hinduja Hospital in Khar.”
On how the condition “narrowed” her opportunities in the industry, Zeenat Aman said, “When so much of one's career is predicated on one's appearance, coming to terms with a dramatic change to it is difficult. I know for a fact that this ptosis narrowed my opportunities and made me the subject of unwanted attention. But despite the gossip, the comments, and the questions, I never felt diminished by it. It helped of course that there were always a few stalwarts that stood by me and chose to work with me still.”
She continued, “The treatments available to me at that time, and for decades after, were unsuccessful. Then this year in April, a leading ophthalmologist informed me that things had advanced, and a surgery to lift the eyelid and restore my field of vision was possible.”
Talking about the medical procedure, Zeenat Aman said, “I dithered for a long time, then underwent a battery of tests and finally committed to the procedure. That morning in the hospital I was terrified. My extremities turned icy and involuntarily shivers racked my body. Zahaan kissed my forehead, reassured me and wheeled me to the OT, where I surrendered to the hands of my medical team. I emerged from there an hour later - alive, well and looking like a pirate with an eye patch.”
In September, Zeenat Aman recalled the time when magazines called her “cursed”.
She said, “If the headlines were to be believed, in 1979 I had cursed myself, in 1982 I was being picked on, in 1984 I was out of sync, in 1985 I was marching towards self-destruction, and in 1998 I was shattered. I could not relate at all to the person they presented me as. The headlines would be adulatory one day and vicious the very next. There was little by way of fact-checking, and no remorse for errors made. When they got the story right - it was usually a colossal breach of privacy. When they got it wrong - those blatant lies would be taken as the gospel. These “scandals” took their toll. It was its own form of public humiliation, and I remember the anxiety, outrage and grief that came with these.”
Talking about her encounter with an editor, Zeenat Aman said, “At some point, my skin toughened, and the realisation dawned that it was impossible for me to challenge the persona that they wanted to create. The one time I confronted an erstwhile editor about a malicious story, she was full of excuses but not a single apology. I made up my mind then not to take it personally. Undignified as it was, their only interest was selling their magazines.”
Zeenat Aman has been vocal about the "falsehoods" and "cruel statements" that she was subjected to in her lifetime by being "in the public eye." A while back, she spoke about "public perception" and her method of dealing with "loose gossip".
Zeenat Aman is best known for her work in films like Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Yaadon Ki Baraat, Hare Rama Hare Krishna and Don, among others.