“People should have right to dress as they please”: Zeenat Aman on gender role reversal

Aug 08, 2023

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], August 8 : Veteran actor Zeenat Aman has shared throwback pictures of herself and talks about gender role reversal in movies.
Zeenat took to Instagram to share a clip from the 1981 movie ‘Katilon Ke Kaatil’ on Tuesday. She captioned the post, “Some personal opinions, two throwback images, and an anecdote… catalysed by the discovery of these pictures yesterday! Of the many actors I had the privilege of being a costar to, Dharm ji was a favourite. Yes, he was strikingly handsome, but more importantly he was a down-to-earth gentleman. There were no pretences or airs about him, and that made me feel most comfortable on set.”


She added, “Dharm ji and I starred in a number of films together, including the international heist Shalimar. If you recall, I previously shared that this film was simultaneously shot in English and Hindi to cater to both audiences. Well, Dharm ji required assistance with his English dialogues and I required help with my Hindi. And so, post the daily shoot you would find each of us with our respective tutors, studiously running our lines for hours! These pictures aren’t from Shalimar though.”
She continued, “The first picture here is from the song Saare Bazaar Karenge Pyar from the film Kaatilon Ke Kaatil. It’s an excellent number, with a full-fledged gender role reversal! I posted this image first because I think people should have the right to dress as they please, without being threatened or assaulted. Perhaps the picturization of the song was meant to be comical, but its message is clear – Dikha de hum mohobbat me hai kitna dam dunia manegi mohobbat aisi hoti hai”
“The second picture is from the film Jagir. And I chose it because our look was sizzling in this number. I had on a glittering silver jumpsuit and Dharm ji had a matching one in black leather! The song is called Naya Naya Hota Hain Purana Purana, which could be quite a good heading for an essay about my Instagram debut! Have a wonderful day, everyone,” she concluded.
The first picture was from the song ‘Saare Bazaar Karenge Pyar’ from the film ‘Katilon Ke Kaatil Zeenat’ where Zeenat played the role of a man in the music video from the movie, sporting a moustache and a hat, while Dharmendra played a woman, donning a white dress.
In another monochrome picture from the movie ‘Jagir,' Zeenat wore a shimmering silver outfit and earrings while Dharmendra wore a black version of the same attire.
Dharmendra and Zeenat Aman appeared in several films together.
Meanwhile, Dharmendra was last seen in director Karan Johar's film 'Rocky aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani' alongside Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt. Apart from that, he also has Shahid Kapoor and Kriti Sanon's upcoming untitled romantic film. 
Zeenat, on the other hand, has given several hits such as 'Satyam Shivam Sundaram', 'Hare Rama Hare Krishna', 'Qurbaani', 'Dhund', 'Don', 'Manoranjan' and 'Yaadon Ki Baarat', was known for doing unconventional roles in her era when many actresses are reluctant to take up those characters.