Zeenat Aman has been an engaging presence on Instagram, sharing tidbits from her day-to-day life and anecdotes from her extensive playing career. In her most recent post, the seasoned performer remembered how she got cast in Hare Rama Hare Krishna even though her family wanted to leave India and wrote a lovely tribute for Dev Anand. Many fans responded to the article by expressing how ‘engaging’ they found her comments to be for the late actor.
Zeenat shared an old black and white photo of herself with Dev Anand and wrote a lengthy comment about how it was the Guide actor who first saw her and suggested she wait for her role in Hare Rama Hare Krishna. “When entering an industry like Bollywood, every actor hopes for a starmaker. Someone who sees the glimmer of potential and ambition that has perhaps only been visible to the self thus far. Very few are so lucky as to find this person, but I was. My starmaker was Dev saab.”
given me a bit part in Hulchul, it had made little impact, and I was already packing my bags to relocate to Malta with my mother and stepfather.
“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.
“Oh, but the saga doesn’t end here. My family was ready to depart the country, but Dev saab persuaded my mother and I to delay our travels. So instead we flew to Kathmandu, stayed at the famous Soaltee Hotel, and waited long days to be called to set to shoot! I was frothing at the bit by the time it was finally time for my scenes. The first of which was a bus sequence. It makes me laugh to watch it now because I know I’m practically spitting out my lines in my impatience to prove myself!”
Zeenat further added, “In those days it took much longer to make a film from start to finish. Two or three years even. My mother and I once again prepared to leave Mumbai, and yet again Dev Saab persuaded us to stay. He promised to edit quickly and get the movie into the cinemas. Sure enough, the film released, it became a huge hit, and I became a star.
“My immigration plans were now indefinitely postponed, and Dev Saab started writing another script with me in mind…(More tomorrow.)”
Director Anurag Kashyap wrote in reaction to the post, “Love this story .. and thanks to dev saab for a lot of people he brought into this industry , and for you (red heart emoticon).” Another fan added, “This is heartwarming. Dev sahab always remembered you fondly in all his interviews! We all are grateful to him for giving us you!” “You are truly the best thing to happen to Instagram. You were also the best thing to happen in my childhood,” added another comment. “Your such a fabulous storyteller. Gonna wait for tomorrow,” a comment read.
