In her Instagram debut, Zeenat Aman talks about female gaze in the arts

Back in the 1970s and 1980s, she had the country’s cinema lovers endlessly sway to superhit songs Chura Liya Hai Tumne Jo Dil Ko and Aap Jaisa Koi Meri Zindagi. Known for her path-breaking performances like Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1971) and Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978) to her recent films like Dil Toh Deewana Hai (2016) and Ugly Aur Pagli (2008), Zeenat has enthralled audiences for decades. Keeping up with the times, the veteran actress has now made her social media debut. She joined Instagram over the weekend, and her fans are literally overjoyed. 

Zeenat posted two pictures of herself on Saturday. “Laughing at the places life takes me. Why hello there, Instagram 🌺”, she captioned the first post. On Sunday, the 71-year-old actress uploaded another photograph, dressed in a classy striped co-ord set, styled with statement jewellery and minimal makeup. 

Describing the setting and photographer who captured these frames, Zeenat said, “In the 70s, the film and fashion industry was absolutely male dominated, and I would often be the only woman on a set. Over the course of my career, I have been photographed and filmed by many talented men. A woman’s gaze though, is different. This series of pictures was shot by young photographer @tanyyaa.a_ in the comfort of my home. No lights, no makeup artist, no hairdresser, no stylist, no assistants. Just a lovely sunny afternoon together. It’s such a pleasure to see so many young women working on both sides of the lens today. I look forward to discovering more such talent on Instagram”.

Did you know in 1970, Zeenat had won both the ‘Femina Miss India’ and the ‘Miss Asia Pacific International’ titles? Apart from films, Zeenat is also quite active on the stage. She features in the Saif Hyder Hasan-directed acclaimed play Dearest Bapu, Love Kasturba, alongside actor Arif Zakaria. In her Instagram profile, which is yet to be verified, the iconic actress describes herself as “Actor. Mother. Maverick”. Fans are already flooding the comments section with messages and emoticons.