Zeenat Aman has ‘been there and done that’, both in terms of Bollywood and taking care of her family. Now she is all set to start her second innings in the film industry with Dunno Y ... Na Jaane Kyun.
“Ever since my husband expired, I’ve been even more careful in bringing up my kids, and stayed away from work. Now, both of them have grown up, so I can do a little bit of work,” Zeenat shares says. So she’s decided to make a comeback? “I don’t call it a comeback, really. I did play a few small roles in recent films (Boom, Bhopal Express and Ugly Aur Pagli),” she replies. She doesn’t divulge much about the movie, but says she plays a substantial role in it. “I play a Catholic woman, Rebecca, who lives with her children and in-laws, after her husband leaves her.” But didn’t she recently announce that she will not do any ‘bechaari maa’ roles? She laughs. “I’m certainly not playing a bechaari maa, but I won’t call it a glam mom type role either. It’s just a different character,” is how she explains it.
All these years, there was no dearth of roles for the former Miss India. “Only that people wanted me to play a grandmom or even a hermaphrodite! Which I didn’t want to,” she says. So what’s so special about this role? “These days, it’s very difficult to get an opportunity to play so many people in one single movie. This movie lets me,” is her spontaneous reply. “Like in this movie, Rebecca has two male friends, who are attracted to her. She doesn’t love them, but still maintains a friendly bond with them, for she knows she is alone, and might need their support some day to bring up her kids.”
But won’t her fans be a little disappointed, watching a glamorous Zeenat in a non-glam role? “Well, not really. The director has a small sequence where I will be doing something of that sort. So let’s just wait and watch,” smiles the former oomph girl. Zeenat says the movie, which also stars Helen and Kabir Bedi, is “90 per cent in English. It feels great that I’m working with Kabir after so many years.”
Bipasha Basu is supposedly reprising Zeenat’s role of a disenchanted hippie in Rohan Sippy’s Dum Maaro Dum. Did Bips approach her for any tips? “I don’t even know about it. And these days, actresses don’t go to anyone for learning,” she comments. Talking of old times makes Zeenat recollect, “The media named me Zeenie Babs, long long ago. I was even called Babushka.” She relates to these names even today, she says.
And what is she expecting from this film? “It doesn’t matter whether it’s a hit or not. At this age and this stage, one really doesn’t feel any competition; I just want to work for the fun of working,” she smiles.
Zeenat Aman isn’t the only yesteryears’ diva to be seen on screen after a long time. Helen is in the film too. Even though the film, Dunno Y... Na Jaane Kyun has made headlines for the gay kiss between its male protagonists, director Sanjay Sharma insists that the story is more than a tale of homosexuality. He says, “The movie is basically about complex relationships – between Helen and Kabir Bedi, between Zeenat Aman and Kabir Bedi, and between the two boys in love. All of these are interlinked.” Talking about Helen’s role, Sanjay says, “Helenji is playing the role of a granny, but a very glamorous granny. At this age, she has done a very glamorous dance in one of the scenes. It’s actually a Goan folk song to which she tap dances, despite having a knee problem.”- Helen
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