Zeenat Aman has concluded the series she has been penning about her relationship with Dev Anand and revealed the ‘only misunderstanding’ she had with the late actor.
The third and final part of Zeenat Aman’s Instagram post begins with, “When I embarked on my cinematic career, It was the age of the Golden Trio. The genius of Dev saab, Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor was widely acknowledged, and any actor worth their salt recognised that these three giants had shaped and were shaping Hindi cinema. Dev saab had already launched my career, and I was now keen to broaden my portfolio.” Speaking about her association with Raj Kapoor, Zeenat added, “Over the next few years I starred in a string of movies, both with and without him. Meanwhile Raj ji's 1973 release Bobby had been a blockbuster hit that had swept every award. We knew each other socially too, exchanging warm greetings at public events. He was also my costar in Vakil Babu and Gopichand Jasoos. Naturally I wanted to be directed by him under the RK banner, and when the opportunity arose I jumped at it. The story of how I landed SSS is well-known, so I won’t repeat it. I was giddy to have been cast for Raj ji's unconventional project, and put heart and soul into it. I was completely unaware that Dev saab was simultaneously misreading the situation.”
Recalling the misunderstanding, Zeenat Aman wrote, “Years later, in 2007, ‘Romancing with Life’, Dev Saab’s autobiography hit the stands. In it he professed that he was in love with me, and insinuated that Raj ji and I had more than a director-actor equation which broke his heart. To be honest, I was livid. I felt humiliated, hurt and disconcerted that Dev saab, my much older mentor, a person I loved and admired platonically, would not only believe such a story devoid of a shred of truth, but would then go on to publish it for the world to read. For weeks my phone rang incessantly as friends inquired about “what really happened” and shared excerpts from the book. I never did read it though, and in my anger I consigned the copy I was sent to storage in the basement!”
Having made peace, Zeenat concluded, “So here it is - the great misunderstanding. This episode embarrassed me deeply. For years I felt unable to talk about it to set the record straight. But now, time has granted me perspective and peace. Human folly is an eternal truth, and we all fall victim at one point or another. I will always remember Dev saab for his rare talent and warm guidance. He has my earnest gratitude and I do not tolerate disrespect to his name.”
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