Mumbai Feb 28, 2026
Veteran Bollywood star Zeenat Aman has spoken about the evolution of Bollywood over the decades, further highlighting the increased freedom and opportunities available to actresses today as compared to her time in the industry.
She stated how marriage or motherhood has no negative effect on an actress’ career
Reflecting on the changing dynamics for leading women in today’s era of Bollywood, Zeenat said, “These days actresses, after being married and after becoming mothers, get good roles. It was not like this in our time. The shelf life of the heroine was very short.”
She mentioned that earlier, marriage and motherhood often called for the end of a heroine’s career, calling their shelf life in Bollywood as short.
The actress further also expressed pride in the growing presence of females in Bollywood, especially behind the camera.
“I am very proud of the fact that a lot of girls, a lot of women are seen on sets these days. In my era, there were no girls working. There was only me and my hairdresser,” she said.
Pointing to the transformation in workspaces, she added, “But now, you see, in every film, in ‘The Royals’ that we did, the camera person, the producer, all the directors, they were all ladies, all women. So this is a very beautiful change that has come.”
Speaking about technical advancements, Zeenat recalled the shift from traditional filmmaking methods to digital technology.
“At that time, we used to shoot on celluloid. After the shooting, the rushes used to go and they used to be developed later. But now, in the digital world, it’s right here, right now. You can see what you have performed immediately,” she said.
Talking about Zeenat Aman, the actress who made her Hindi film debut with Hulchul in 1971, rose to fame with films such as Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Yaadon Ki Baaraat, Don, and Satyam Shivam Sundaram amongst others.
She was regarded as one of the most glamorous and progressive stars of the 1970s.
A former beauty pageant queen who won the Miss Asia Pacific International title in 1970, Zeenat redefined the image of the Hindi film heroine with her bold screen presence and ‘Ultra Westernised’ style and personality.
Known as a fashion icon of her era and even today, Zeenat chose classy and sassy roles rather than the stereotypical “bechari” characters, portraying independent and modern women at a time when such representations were rare.(Agency)
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