Zeenat Aman is known to share interesting anecdotes from her movies on Instagram. In a two-part post on Instagram on Tuesday and Wednesday, the veteran actress shared how she convinced the director Raj Kapoor to cast her in the 1978 iconic romantic drama Satyam Shivam Sundaram.
Sharing a photo from the sets of the film on Tuesday, Zeenat wrote, "In December we will mark the 100th birth anniversary of the extraordinary Raj Kapoor. I have rehashed the story of how he came to cast me as Rupa in Satyam Shivam Sundaram countless times, but here it is for Instagram. A defining anecdote from my career."
"It was around 1976, and we were shooting Vakil Babu. Rajji was playing the titular role, while his younger brother Shashi Kapoor and I were playing leading roles as each other’s love interests. In between takes, while the technicians changed sets and rigged lights, we cast members often found ourselves with time to kill. Now Rajji had a radical approach to his art, and he was brimming with enthusiasm for a film he wanted to make. For days he regaled us with his idea for a story about a man who falls in love with a woman’s voice but can’t quite reconcile himself to her appearance. He spoke with unfettered and rousing passion, but never once even hinted that I could be a part of this film. I was already a star in my own right, and his lack of interest in casting me began to chafe. I knew that my "modern image", complete with mini skirts and boots, was the culprit. So I determined to take matters into my own hands. I knew that Rajji spent much of his spare time at ‘The Cottage’ set on the grounds of his sprawling R.K. Studio. It was here that he would hold meetings or host small events, often presiding over these gathering from a pristine mattress placed on the floor. So I made my move. One evening, having wrapped up early from shoot, I spent an extra 30 minutes in my dressing room making myself up in my own interpretation of Rupa. I put on a ghagra choli, braided my hair with a parandi, and then stuck tissue paper onto my face with glue in an effort to scar my visage. When I reached The Cottage I was greeted at the door by John, Rajji’s right-hand man. He looked quizzically at me but followed my request - "Saabji ko kaho ki Rupa aayi hai" To be continued tomorrow", she continued.
On Wednesday, Zeenat shared a photo with Raj Kapoor and his wife Krishna Raj Kapoor, and continued her story as she added, "...Continued from yesterday. Ever-reliable John delivered my message, and soon ushered me into Rajji’s view. Oh! How amused was the great director to see me dressed as a maimed village belle! I later learnt that he was very moved that an actress of my stature would go to such lengths to prove herself. When his laughter died down, Rajji excused himself to make a telephone call. Twenty minutes later, his most gracious wife Krishna ji was at the door with a handful of gold guineas in her purse. Rajji handed these to me with great aplomb as my signing amount...and so it was that I came to be Rupa. I held onto those guineas for decades, until they were stolen from my home a few years ago. Still, given a choice between this memory and that gold, I will always choose the memory. On another note, the image in my previous post depicts Rajji fixing my scars on set. The glue used to give me this appearance played absolute havoc on my skin for weeks."
Apart from Zeenat Aman, Shashi Kapoor starred as the leading man in Satyam Shivam Sundaram. Laxmikant-Pyarelal won the Filmfare Award for Best Music Director for their brilliant soundtrack consisting of songs such as the title track, Bhor Bhaye Panghat Pe, Yashomati Maiya Se Bole Nandlala, and Chanchal Sheetal Nirmal Komal.
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