Zeenat Aman's Instagram timeline is unmissable. Be it her personal stories or BTS moments from the sets of her films, the veteran star shares hilarious and insightful anecdotes from her acting days. In a recent Instagram post, Zeenat Aman talked about the “drama that went 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 starred Shashi Kapoor. It was released in 1978. Zeenat Aman revealed that when Raj ji [Raj Kapoor] narrated the dance sequence of Chanchal Sheetal Nirmal Komal to her, the actress “burst into a flood of tears.” Zeenat Aman was convinced that she would “make a fool” of herself and “sink the entire film.” But Raj Kapoor was at her rescue. Sharing a still from the film featuring herself and Shashi Kapoor, the veteran star wrote, “Shashi [Kapoor] ji and I in a still from the song Chanchal Sheetal Nirmal Komal. Giant mushrooms, pink clouds, bellowing smoke, enormous flowers, sexy outfits, otherworldly props…this fantasy song sequence from Satyam Shivam Sundaram went the whole nine yards. I'd go as far as to call it something of a psychedelic trip!”
Zeenat Aman revealed that “Raj ji [Raj Kapoor] was an aesthete to the core and was known for working with some of the most beautiful performers from the south - the likes of Vyjayanthimala and Padmini [Kolhapure]. He also had a taste for classical dance and had conceptualised this entire song with that in mind.”
She continued, “But this was my first film under the RK [Raj Kapoor] banner, and I was not a classical dancer by any stretch of the imagination. When Rajji narrated the sequence to me, I burst into a flood of tears! I was convinced I would make a fool of myself and sink the entire film. Through hiccups and sobs I explained my predicament to him. Rajji laughed. 'What will I do with you convent girls and your two left feet?' he exclaimed.”
Further, Zeenat Aman said that despite the initial hiccups, the Satyam Shivam Sundaram team created a wonderland. She wrote, “He [Raj Kapoor] did do something of course. He instructed legendary choreographer Sohanlal to teach me mudras but not any complicated choreography. Simultaneously, genius costume designer Bhanu Athaiya created a range of sensational outfits, and art director A. Rangaraj mounted a stunning set. And thus, the SSS team created a wonderland.”
“I highly recommend that you find the video on YouTube and give it a watch. It's a visual delight, and I would love to hear your thoughts on it,” Zeenat Aman signed off.
Zeenat Aman calls Chanchal Sheetal Nirmal Komal “one of the most fantastical song sequences” of her career.
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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.