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ZEENAT AMAN IN VOGUE INDIA’S JULY-AUGUST ISSUE; TALKS ABOUT JOINING INSTAGRAM, HER CEASELESS GLOBAL IMPACT, AND AGEING IN THE PUBLIC EYE
Photographed by AVANI RAI
Styled by MEGHA KAPOOR
The new cover story for Vogue India’s July-August issue showcases the evergreen actor Zeenat Aman. Written by the star herself, Aman talks about how content she is in the way her life has turned out, her personal style, her ageing in the film industry, and her realizing the global impact her work has had.
On joining Instagram, Aman says:
“There is no desire to have millions of followers or present some unattainable, aspirational life to the world. All I do is reminisce, talk about the things that matter to me, and have fun. This is not to say that I am callous about my posts. There is enough blather in the world and I don’t wish to add to it. The captions take no more than 15 to 20 minutes to write, but each one is preceded by conversations with my family. They give me perspective and help me articulate my views.”
Aman on acknowledging her global impact and positive influence:
“Now, every day, I wake up to a slew of messages from across the world: Syria and Ukraine, Fiji and Australia, Thailand, and Mexico…the geographical scope of my followers fascinates me because it was intangible in my youth—a time before the internet. This isn’t a comeback, but it is something of a coming around. I am only today acknowledging the impact of my career on the lives of thousands of strangers. That people remember my work and were positively influenced by it makes me happy. They may not know me personally, but I represent something to them—perhaps a beautiful memory or a moment of empowerment—and that is an invaluable privilege.”
Aman’s take on fashion:
“Clothes are meant to be worn and enjoyed as an expression of individuality and comfort. They can certainly be powerful and shape our self-image. I am not denying the creativity of designers nor the skill it takes to create fine clothes, but what I am protesting is the obsession with appearance and couture that I see around me. In a world brimming with wonder and suffering, fashion should bring us joy and utility, not turmoil and self-obsession.”
On media scrutiny, Aman says:
“I have led a life of breathtaking highs and profound lows. There is nothing I regret and nobody that I owe. Any shame or fear that has ever dogged me has long evaporated. There are incidents in my life that the public cling to and that are dredged up again and again. I am aware of these and becoming increasingly immune to them. My life is not defined by a few bad days that transpired many decades ago, and I need neither sympathy nor defence. I am content in myself.”
On ageing in the public eye, Aman says:
“Over the years, I’ve worn it all (and nearly bared it all) and had great fun doing it. I realized early on that the world desired youth and beauty from women in the film industry. So I leveraged my looks, but I also chose roles that pushed the envelope. Still, there was far more interest in my face and figure than there ever was in my intellect. This is one reason that I have loved ageing—it has evened the scales.”
Aman on reclaiming the narrative:
“I didn’t realize how much being able to publicly speak my own truths would delight me. As a leading actor in the ’70s, I was always a subject of conversation, but almost never on my own terms. The gossip and perceptions could be suffocating, and there was rarely recourse to set the record straight. On Instagram, I have found the freedom to express myself. It’s liberating, and consequently, I haven’t accepted a single interview request that’s come my way since February.”
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/p/Ct50FdshNKj/?hl=en
