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Zeenat Aman talked about how unfaithful media representations used to take a toll on her - and how she learnt to cope with the perils of being in the limelight
Zeenat Aman featured on the cover pages of tabloids from the '80s
- Veteran actors are making a comeback on social media - and Gen Z is here for it!
- Zeenat Aman talked about how unfaithful media representations used to take a toll on her.
- She talked about developing a thick skin and using your voice to tell your story.
The Indian film industry is witnessing a significant shift, as veteran actors make a comeback both on screen and in the public sphere. Leveraging social media platforms to engage with the modern audience has become essential. Recently, acclaimed actresses Zeenat Aman and Saira Banu joined Instagram, much to the delight of their fans, with Zeenat Aman's engagement rate reaching new heights everyday.
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Zeenat Aman is resonating with her diverse demographic, including fans who have seen and loved her on the silver screen, and also with Gen-Z - a generation who has not seen the actress in action, but is getting to know her through her own words. She often shares behind-the-scenes photographs from sets accompanied with playful anecdotes. Aman also dispenses non-patronizing life advice based on her own lived experiences on Instagram. Earlier today, she shared a post on how she was mired in much scandal and gossip during her years of youth - and how she managed to cope with the perils of fame.
Sharing the cover pages of a few magazines of yore, she captioned her post, "If the headlines were to be believed, in 1979 I had cursed myself, in 1982 I was being picked on, in 1984 I was out of sync, in 1985 I was marching towards self-destruction, and in 1998 I was shattered!"
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Zeenat Aman talked about how unfaithful media representations used to take a toll on her. They would impact her perception of herself - and the picture of a superficial superstar that these magazines painted of her was an image she could not relate to. She brought to light how the '80s version of 'clickbaity' content would be harnessed, simply to sell a story remaining oblivious to its authenticity and the impact it would have on the subject.
"There was a time that I subscribed to glossies and tabloids, but that passed very quickly. I could not relate at all to the person they presented me as. The headlines would be adulatory one day and vicious the very next. There was little by way of fact checking, and no remorse for errors made. When they got the story right - it was usually a colossal breach of privacy. When they got it wrong - those blatant lies would be taken as the gospel. These “scandals” took their toll."
"It was its own form of public humiliation, and I remember the anxiety, outrage and grief that came with these. Undignified as it was, their only interest was selling their magazines," she said.
"All this is just to say - people will always find reason to talk, and so it’s probably best not to allow their opinion or perception to define your life. You can do that for yourself."
Aman has previously talked about how she was often inaccurately represented by the gaze of the media. While she could not possibly address every controversy or dispel rumours at the time, she is using social media to tell her story in her own words - and what a powerful narrative of reclamation this is for young women everywhere.
Zeenat Aman, as she mentions in her bio, is a 'maverick' in the truest sense of the word. The actress has been lauded for being ahead of her times by critics and audiences ever since her edgy roles in films like 'Satyam Shivam Sundaram.' In a superficial and fleeting social media world, Aman has emerged as a voice of poignance and sincerity. She is leveraging the platform to share stories about love, loss and lessons learnt from her richly lived life that resonate across generations. From partnering with Google to spread awareness about LGBTQIA+ rights to dispelling myths and rumours surrounding her life in innovative ways, Zeenat has become widely loved in her 'comeback' - fans say they'd line up for a memoir if she ever put pen to paper (and we're certainly one of them!)
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