Veteran Bollywood actress Zeenat Aman has reacted to the controversies surrounding her character Rupa in the 1978 film Satyam Shivam Sundaram.
Zeenat, who recently made her debut on Instagram, shared a black and white picture from the look test for the film in 1977. In her caption of her post, Zeenat revealed she was 'amused by the accusations of obscenity.'
For those unversed, Satyam Shivam Sundaram was mired in controversy for its portrayal of sexuality and the female body. The Supreme Court had reportedly dismissed a charge of obscenity against the film before its release.
"Anyone acquainted with the history of Bollywood will know that there was much controversy and brouhaha about my character Rupa in Satyam Shivam Sundaram. I was always quite amused by the accusations of obscenity as I did not and do not find anything obscene about the human body. I am a director’s actor and these looks were part of my job. Rupa’s sensuality was not the crux of the plot, but a part of it. As it is, the set is not even remotely a sensual space. Every move is choreographed, rehearsed and performed in front of dozens of crew members," she wrote.
The actress added, "Director Raj Kapoor (Rajji) had brought me on board the film, but was concerned about my 'western' image. He was unsure whether the audience would accept me in this avatar, and so conducted this look test. Later, on the basis of this test, we shot a small reel picturised on Lata ji’s famous song ‘Jaago Mohan Pyare’ from the 1956 film Jagte Raho. Rajji held a screening of the reel at RK Studios to gauge the response of his distributors to me in this role. After that first screening, the rights for all territories were immediately sold."
Zeenat Aman rose to fame after winning the Miss Asia Pacific International pageant in 1970 and in the same year, she stepped into the world of Bollywood. She made her debut in the film ‘The Evil Within’ alongside legendary actor Dev Anand.
She made a mark in the film industry within a very short span by working in films like Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Yaadon Ki Baaraat, Roti Kapada Aur Makaan, Don, Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Qurbani, Dharam Veer, Dostana, and others.
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