The veteran star shares hilarious and enlightening anecdotes from his acting days. In a recent Instagram post, Zeenat Aman talked about the “drama going on behind the scenes” of the song Chanchal Sheetal Nirmal Komal from the film Satyam Shivam Sundaram. Directed by Raj Kapoor, Satyam Shivam Sundaram also featured Shashi Kapoor. It was released in 1978. Zeenat Aman revealed that when Raj ji (Raj Kapoor) narrated her the dance sequence of Chanchal Sheetal Nirmal Komal, the actress “broke into tears.” Zeenat Aman was convinced that she would “make a fool” of herself and “sink the whole film.” But Raj Kapoor was in his defence. Sharing a picture of himself and Shashi Kapoor from the film, the veteran star wrote, “Shashi Kapoor ji and I in a scene from the song Chanchal Sheetal Nirmal Komal. Giant mushrooms, pink clouds, billowing smoke, huge flowers, sexy costumes, ethereal decorations…this fantasy song sequence from Satyam Shivam Sundaram was the whole nine yards. I would go as far as calling it a psychedelic trip!”
Zeenat Aman revealed that “Raj ji [Raj Kapoor] was an aesthete through and through and was known to have worked with some of the most beautiful artistes of the South – Vyjayanthimala and Padmini [Kolhapure]. He was also fond of classical dance and keeping that in mind he conceptualized this entire song.
She added, “But this was my first film under the RK [Raj Kapoor] banner, and I was not a classical dancer by any means. When Rajji narrated this sequence to me, I burst into tears! I was sure I would make a fool of myself and sink the entire movie. Through hiccups and sobs, I explained my problem to him. Rajji laughed. ‘What will I do with you convent girls and both of your left legs?’ He shouted.
Furthermore, Zeenat Aman said that despite the initial hurdles, the Satyam Shivam Sundaram team created a wonderful world. He wrote, “He (Raj Kapoor) definitely did something. He instructed the famous choreographer Sohanlal to teach me the poses, but not any complicated choreography. Additionally, talented costume designer Bhanu Athaiya created a series of sensational costumes, and art director A. Rangraj prepared a wonderful set. And thus, the SSS team created a wonderful world.
Zeenat Aman calls Chanchal Sheetal Nirmal Komal “one of the most fantastical song sequences” of her career.
https://www.instagram.com/
stories/thezeenataman/ 3190009439855079515/ In a previous post, Zeenat Aman recalled how Norway’s postal department issued a special stamp in her honour at a film festival in Oslo in 2016. The veteran actress was also presented with 60 stamps for her personal use along with a giant replica of the same. “I was thrilled by this novel gesture of appreciation, but wasn’t sure whether the stamps would actually work. So the very next morning, I bought a ream of postcards, wrote out messages to my friends, slapped a ‘Zeenat Aman’ stamp onto each, crossed my fingers, and dropped the cards into a postbox,” read an excerpt from her post.
Zeenat Aman is all set to make a comeback with Manish Malhotra’s Bun Tikki, alongside Shabana Azmi.
