Zeenat Aman says, today’s cinema embraces nuances people once overlooked

New Delhi: Veteran Bollywood star Zeenat Aman, whose groundbreaking performances in classics such as “Hare Rama Hare Krishna”, “Qurbani” and “Satyam Shivam Sundaram” to name a few, blended glamour with a quiet defiance, says the conversation around “superficiality” has changed with time.

Asked back then, glamour was often misunderstood as superficial. Yet her characters from Hare Rama, Hare Krishna to Satyam Shivam Sundaram carried emotional rebellion within the glamour. Does she feel that nuances are returning to cinema now?

“Yeah. You know, I think we have not just Hindi cinema, we have regional cinema. And I think there are so many different stories that are being told on so many different platforms,”Zeenat told IANS.

Zeenat Aman added that streaming has opened doors for voices that earlier remained on the fringes.

“And especially now with OTT and the streaming platform. So I think there are all kinds of stories and all kinds of wonderful opportunities for young actors and all actors to perform,” added Zeenat.

Talking about Haré Rama Haré Krishna, which was released in 1971 and directed by Dev Anand. The film deals with the decadence of the Hippie culture, and aims to have an anti-drug message and also depicts some problems associated with Westernization. The film was influenced by the 1968 American psychedelic film Psych-Out.

Zeenat Aman’s Qurbani released in 1980 and it stars Vinod Khanna, Amjad Khan, Shakti Kapoor, Aruna Irani, Amrish Puri and Kader Khan. It is said to be inspired by the 1972 Italian-West German movie The Master Touch.

Meanwhile, Satyam Shivam Sundaram was a 1978 romantic drama starring Shashi Kapoor and Zeenat Aman.It talks about the differences between physical and spiritual love.

Her latest work includes narrating a compelling 10-part documentary series christened “Embers of Hope: The Fight for Our Future” for the Discovery channel.

Filmed across over 60 locations, each episode explores a critical theme, from global warming, waste and pollution to population balance, water conservation, and biodiversity loss.