Zeenat Aman on 'controversial' Satyam Shivam Sundaram: Was always quite amused by the accusations of obscenity, do not find anything obscene about the human body

Zeenat Aman further revealed how Raj Kapoor shot a reel and screened it for distributors ahead of the release.

Zeenat Aman in Satyam Shivam Sundaram (Courtesy: Zeenat Aman/Instagram)

Back in the 1970s, Zeenat Aman made a splash on the big screen, and since then, there has been no turning back for her. Within a few years, the actor appeared in two landmark films: Hare Rama Hare Krishna and Yaadon ki Baaraat. However, it was in 1978 when Zeenat played the role that changed the course of Hindi cinema for many years. Yes, we are talking about the Raj Kapoor-directed film, Satyam Shivam Sundaram in which she was seen as Rupa.

Her look in the film became controversial, and now in her latest Instagram post, the veteran actor wrote about how a ruckus was created for no reason. Zeenat shared a black-and-white photo from Satyam Shivam Sundaram and started by writing, "This picture was taken by photographer J P Singhal during a look test for Satyam Shivam Sundaram around 1977. We shot the series at RK Studios, and my costumes were designed by Oscar winner Bhanu Athaiya."

Talking about how she was amused by the extreme reactions, the actor further stated, "Anyone acquainted with the history of Bollywood will know that there was much controversy and brouhaha about my character Rupa in Satyam Shivam Sundaram. I was always quite amused by the accusations of obscenity, as I did not and do not find anything obscene about the human body. I am a director’s actor, and these looks were part of my job. Rupa’s sensuality was not the crux of the plot, but a part of it. As it is, the set is not even remotely a sensual space. Every move is choreographed, rehearsed, and performed in front of dozens of crew members."

Zeenat added, "Director Raj Kapoor (Rajji) had brought me on board the film but was concerned about my "western" image. He was unsure whether the audience would accept me in this avatar, and so he conducted this look test. Later, on the basis of this test, we shot a small reel picturised on Lata ji’s famous song Jaago Mohan Pyare from the 1956 film Jagte Raho."

She concluded by writing, "Rajji held a screening of the reel at RK Studios to gauge the response of his distributors to me in this role. After that first screening, the rights for all territories were immediately sold."

Satyam Shivam Sundaram featured Shashi Kapoor in the lead role.

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