The iconic Zeenat Aman who , as the freespirited Janice sang her way into superstardom with Dum maro dum in Hare Rama Hare Krishna turns a year old on November 19.
I chatted with Zeenat hours before her birthday.
When I asked her how she was bringing in her birthday she said, “With my sons Azaan and Zahaan, as usual. I would have it no other way. That birthday ritual remains unchanged.”
Zeenat sees her birthday as a karmic cycle. “When I was younger and a daughter rather than a mother, I had to be with my mother for every birthday no matter where I happened to be. Now that sense of family kinship has been passed on to my sons.”
Nowadays she spends a lot of time with her boys. “I am the happiest when I am with them. They are good, well brought-up boys. I am very proud of them .They are busy with their work, composing music, writing scripts, etc.”
Zeenat who gave a slew of superhits in the 1970s and 80s like Nasir Hussain’s Yaadon Ki Baaraat, Feroz Khan’s Qurbani, and Chandra Barot’s Don says the roles are no longer worth her while. “I would rather spend time with my sons and with myself. During my heydays I had no time for anything but shooting.”
She says she is grateful for the gift of life. “I am happy with what I have. I don’t mean to sound philosophical . But mortality is the reality of life. Every year my birthday underlines that reality. I am so grateful to have made it so far.”
I remind her she has generations of admirers.
“And a few genuine well-wishers. I am grateful for all the good things in life,” she signs off.
