Join WhatsApp Channel
Birthday girl Zeenat Aman, who enters her 75th year on November 19 (sharing her birthday with Sushmita Sen, another actress who lives on her own terms and has come to cinema after making India proud on the ramp) remains a revolution in Hindi cinema. Zeenat first received recognition after winning the Femina Miss India pageant and the Miss Asia Pacific International pageant in 1970 and began acting that same year, appearing in the Hollywood film, The Evil Within (1970). The film never got released in India, where her first release was Hulchul (1971), a suspense drama.
This was followed by Hungama (1971), which co-starred Vinod Khanna. And then came her breakthrough, Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1972) with Dev Anand, her hero in The Evil Within, as writer-producer-director and co-star. Zeenat played his long-lost sister in the film, who becomes a junkie. As she sashayed to Dum maro dum in the film (the first of many chartbusters and hit songs), a star was born.
Like Shammi Kapoor among the males (who later was to choose her for the female lead in his directorial debut, Manoranjan), Zeenat reinvented the Hindi film heroine forever. She was the glam, Westernized and educated young lady, not averse to showing legs and skin, wearing mini-skirts in the conservative-yet-rebellious 1970s and yet not the vamp who were known to have such traits then. Her most frequent hero was Shashi Kapoor, but from Dev himself (also in real life as per buzz), Dharmendra, Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan besides others, she serenaded them all. Very recently, she did a small but distinct character in the web series, The Royals.
From B.R. Chopra, Raj Kapoor and Hrishikesh Mukherjee to Manoj Kumar, Shakti Samanta, Vijay Anand, Manmohan Desai, Prakash Mehra and Subhash Ghai, Zeenat had the cream of filmmakers in her bag, later even doing co-productions with USA (Shalimar) and Russia (Alibaba Aur Chalis Chor, Sohni Mahiwal).
Having revolutionized the persona of the Hindi film heroine, Zeenat went on, also, to enact solidly successful songs. As she proved that she could be traditional as well as midway to modernity, she gave us iconic chartbusters like Chura liya hai tumne (Yaadon Ki Baraat), Haaye haaye yeh majboori and Main na bhooloonga (both from Roti Kapada Aur Makaan), Do lafzon ki hai dil ki kahani (The Great Gambler), Satyam Shivam Sundaram from the film of that name, Aap jaisa koi and Laila o Laila (both from Qurbani) and Khatooba (Alibaba Aur Chalis Chor) among many other hits.
However, I would instead like, for a change, to focus on the exotica she got in her wondrous music, largely helmed by R.D. Burman, with great contributions from Laxmikant-Pyarelal and Kalyanji-Anandji. Most of her winners were penned by Anand Bakshi. Lata Mangeshkar (in the steeply melodious) and Asha Bhosle (more in the sassy modern ditties) and Kanchan besides Nazia Hassan shared her hit numbers.
Here are the Zeenat Aman exotica that exemplify how music was synonymous with the actress even when quality reigned.
Suraj se jo kiran ka naata (Hungama / 1971) was actually the very first song filmed on her (and Vinod Khanna). R.D. Burman, who composed this song, did all her first three films (Hulchul and Hare Rama Hare Krishna) and this sonorous Lata-Mukesh duet was written by Anjaan, who, like Mukesh, was a rare associate for the composer. It was 1983, in fact, before Anjaan (now a top name) returned to Aman-land with an exotic song in Laawaris, Kabke bichhade hue hum, which is mentioned below.
Uljhan suljhe na (Dhund / 1973) was written by Sahir, composed by Ravi and rendered by Asha Bhosle. Easily Asha’s most melodious song for her, it came at a dramatic point in the B.R. Chopra whodunit, in which Zeenat played a widow.
Dulhan maike chali (Manoranjan) created by R.D. Burman-Anand Bakshi had Lata, Asha and Usha Mangeshkar coming together for a meaningful song focusing on the issues street workers. Lata was Zeenat’s voice in this beauty.
Shama jale ya na jale (Paapi) was a heady swinger composed by Bappi Lahiri with lyrics by Naqsh Lyallpuri. The placid, almost languid, solo by Lata Mangeshkar epitomized melody, for which Bappi was then well-known!
Mere gore gaalo ka (Aashiq Hoon Baharon Ka) saw the Laxmikant-Pyarelal-Anand Bakshi team whip up a rare classic melody by Lata Mangeshkar that was heavily raag-infused.
Suni jo unnke aane ki aahat (Satyam Shivam Sundaram) saw L-P deliver a potent Lata punch with Pt. Narendra Sharma’s lyrics that was nothing less than breathtaking.
Kitna aasaan hai kehna bhool jaao (Dostana) saw Lata essay a haunting and taunting litany to a bewafa(unfaithful) ex-love, created by L-P and Bakshi.
Kasam na lo koi humse (Bombay 405 Miles) had this lovely Asha-Kishore confection musically baked by Kalyanji-Anandji and Indeevar. In this gem of a song, Indeevar wrote many homilies on true love and the deep melody too was infectious.
Kab ke bichhade hue hum (Laawaris) had K-A dishing out another Asha-Kishore lovely that had a haunting aura of poignancy mixed with contentment. Anjaan penned the heartfelt lyrics.
Tere siva na kisika banoonga (Professor Pyarelal) was sung by Asha with Mohammed Rafi. This sublime Kalyanji-Anandji melody penned by Rajendra Krishan and filmed on Dharmendra and Zeenat Aman was nothing less than soul-stirring.
Zeenat Aman remains an icon, and her Instagram presence is proof that even as she enters a peppy 75, she is forever young.
