Mumbai: Ever since she made her Instagram debut, veteran actress Zeenat Aman has been spilling the beans about her personal and professional life. On Sunday, the ‘Satyam Shivam Sundaram’ actress opened up about whether she is making a comeback on the silver screen or not.
Taking to Instagram, Zeenat penned a long note, which read, “There’s been some speculation that my presence here is the precursor to my return to the silver screen. I am a notoriously private person, and I suppose this sudden sharing has set tongues wagging. The truth is that I have been in the public eye since I was 16-years-old, and have experienced the perils of being misquoted, taken out of context, censored, and gossiped about. Now as a septuagenarian I am enjoying the opportunity to reflect on my life and career in my own words. That too without any pressures from managers or studios or brands.”
She added,” I am not, per se, planning a return to the silver screen, but nor am I closing that door. Creativity does not retire, and I would love to sink my teeth into a nuanced and impactful character. I’m of course quite aware that such roles for older women are few and far apart. Some days ago I read about the Annenberg Foundation study that analysed 1,000 Hollywood films released between 2007 and 2017. They found that less than 25% of the women on screen were over the age of 40. The numbers for the Indian film industry are unlikely to be much better.”
Zeenat shared that she is learning online lingo.
“So, in short, I nurture optimism not expectations. In the meanwhile, my sons are helping me understand online lingo. I just learnt what a “thirst trap” is!,” she continued.
On Friday, Zeenat opened up about embracing grey hair. She also spoke about the stereotypical notion of society and the standards set by them for a woman’s beauty.
She shared a picture clicked by her son Zahaan Khan. She is sitting in a garden area. While her back is to the camera, the picture is noticeable for her ‘silver bob’ which she discussed in her caption.
“As women, we are told that our social worth lies in youth and physical beauty. If not explicitly, then in a thousand subliminal ways. This is especially true for the entertainment industry. In general, as we age, men are bequeathed gravitas but women are at best offered sympathy,” she wrote.
Zeenat revealed that she “was initially reluctant to stop dyeing my hair, and was strongly advised against it. Some well wishers even said it would negatively impact my work opportunities.”
“It was only once I contemplated upon my own hesitations that I realised I really don’t care to buttress our society’s idolisation of youth. Being young is wonderful, but so is being old. It thrills me to see more and more silver-haired women (of all ages) challenge the status quo,” she added.
Zeenat is best known for featuring in films such as ‘Satyam Shivam Sundaram’, ‘Don’, ‘Yaadon ki Baraat’, ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna’, ‘Qurbani, Dostana’, ‘Dharam Veer’, among others.
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