Zeenat Aman shared this image. (courtesy: thezeenataman)
Veteran actress Zeenat Aman has kept her word and is back with the third and final instalment of her much-awaited posts featuring Dev Anand. In another beautifully written note, the veteran actor bared her soul to the world and talked about the tumultuous relationship she shared with actor and "Starmaker" Dev Anand. She began the post by referring to the "golden trio" of Dev saab, Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor, who she said were the brains behind shaping Hindi cinema.
"When I embarked on my cinematic career, It was the age of the Golden Trio. The genius of Dev saab, Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor was widely acknowledged, and any actor worth their salt recognized that these three giants had shaped and were shaping Hindi cinema. Dev saab had already launched my career, and I was now keen to broaden my portfolio. Over the next few years, I starred in a string of movies, both with and without him," the 71-year-old actor noted.
Expressing her wish to be cast under the RK Banner, Zeenat Aman continued, "Meanwhile Raj ji's 1973 release Bobby had been a blockbuster hit that had swept every award. We knew each other socially too, exchanging warm greetings at public events. He was also my costar in Vakil Babu and Gopichand Jasoos. Naturally, I wanted to be directed by him under the RK banner, and when the opportunity arose, I jumped at it. The story of how I landed SSS is well-known, so I won't repeat it. I was giddy to have been cast for Raj ji's unconventional project and put heart and soul into it. I was completely unaware that Dev saab was simultaneously misreading the situation."
Talking about the "great misunderstanding" between Dev Anand and herself, the Satyam Shivam Sundaram star revealed details about the episode that left her feeling, "humiliated, hurt and disconcerted".
She wrote, Years later, in 2007, ‘Romancing with Life', Dev Saab's autobiography hit the stands. In it, he professed that he was in love with me, and insinuated that Raj ji and I had more than a director-actor equation which broke his heart. To be honest, I was livid. I felt humiliated, hurt and disconcerted that Dev saab, my much older mentor, a person I loved and admired platonically, would not only believe such a story devoid of a shred of truth but would then go on to publish it for the world to read. For weeks my phone rang incessantly as friends inquired about “what happened” and shared excerpts from the book. I never did read it though, and in my anger, I consigned the copy I was sent to storage in the basement!"
However despite, what went down between the two actors of the golden era, Zeenat Aman in her latest post stated that though the episode concerning "Dev Saab" embarrassed her "deeply", she wants to remember the legendary actor "for his rare talent and warm guidance."
Concluding the post, Zeenat Aman wrote, "So here it is - the great misunderstanding. This episode embarrassed me deeply. For years I felt unable to talk about it to set the record straight. But now, time has granted me perspective and peace. Human folly is an eternal truth, and we all fall victim at one point or another. I will always remember Dev saab for his rare talent and warm guidance. He has my earnest gratitude and I do not tolerate disrespect to his name."
Take a look at the post here:
In an earlier post, the veteran actor recalled how she had bagged the role in Hare Rama Hare Krishna and expressed her gratitude towards Dev Saab for granting her this opportunity. She wrote, " "Dev Saab and his Navketan team were casting for Hare Rama Hare Krishna at the time. In his largesse, O P Ralhan suggested that they meet me. I vividly remember what I wore that day. A fitted yellow top, a fawn-coloured skirt and glasses with yellow frames. My mother was at the meeting (remember, I was still in my teens). So she held forth, while I spoke when spoken to, and packed tobacco into my pipe. The meeting concluded, and a few days later the landline jangled. I was asked to come for a screen test, and that is how I came to be cast as Jasbir/Janice."
Zeenat Aman rose to fame with her performance in Hare Rama Hare Krishna and won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award.