Zeenat Aman: “Mine is just a blink and miss role in Panipat”  

To those of us who are looking forward to seeing the return of the iconic Zeenat Aman in Ashutosh Gowariker’s Panipat here is a warning. Zeenat’s is a very small role which she did for the privilege of working with one of the finest directors of the country.

“I only have a very small appearance, almost a blink and miss role. Yes, it is a guest appearance,” says the heart-throb of the 1970s who regaled audiences with her seductive bearing in Hare Rama Hare Krishna. Ajnabee, Yaadon Ki Baaraat and Don.

A guest appearance is indeed rare in Zeenat’s career. The only other time she did a guest appearance it was for Nasir Hussain’s Hum Kisise Kam Nahin where she performed the hit Qawwalli Hai agar dushman zamana gham nahin with Rishi Kapoor.

Zeenat who had done the blockbuster Yaadon Ki Baaraat with Nasir Hussain couldn’t say no to the distinguished director. And now it is time for the second guest appearance in her career.It is also the first historical of her career.

We can hardly wait.

Zeenat who started her career with O P Ralhan's Hulchal and Dev Anand's Hare Rama Hare Krishna soon hurled towards superstardom and revolutionized the way we looked at the Hindi film heroine.

Today she leads a life of semi-retirement with her two grownup sons from her late husband Mazhar Khan.

Zeenat says her sons are familiar with her work. "But my films have no real relevance for them It's like watching home video. They're no big deal. They do understand their mothers was a celebrity. But they didn't really see my heyday.

When they were younger my sons made me feel very special by writing poetry, making cards. The emotions are still there. But their feelings are now manifested in less demonstrative ways. But I still have their cards and gifts. They're my most treasured gifts ever.You know, after their father passed away I felt doubly responsible towards them. I had grown up without a father. I didn't want my boys to feel the deprivation. The absence of the father could be specially hard on the son. So I tried to compensate as much as I could for the father's absence."

The woman who made men go weak in their knees in the 1970s is today single. "Friendship, companionship….. these never end. My friends are there with me. Life is all about being emotional healthy. I'm not searching for anything beyond that."