Never had a ‘relationship’ with Raj Kapoor: Zeenat Aman hits out at claims in Dev Anand’s autobiography
Actor Zeenat Aman has clarified that she “never had an interpersonal relationship” with late actor-filmmaker Raj Kapoor. The 71-year-old was speaking at an event in Mumbai when she was asked to comment on an incident from a Raj Kapoor party that late actor Dev Anand had described in his autobiography, Romancing With Life.
Recalling the party, Aman said this was her chance to make it all clear at her end. “Raj had signed me for Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978) and I went there as his about-to-be heroine.
I never had an interpersonal relationship (with him), not before that and never after that. It was always a director-actor relation. He was passionate about his work and I was passionate about his work but never did he ask me why I did not wear white. In fact, I have never worn white on his sets or parties (referencing the filmmaker’s fascination with women wearing white). With all due respect, ek kahani banane me, hindsight se kuch interesting banane ke liye kuch jumle daal dete hain,” Aman said.
Aman and Anand starred in the 1971 film Hare Rama Hare Krishna, during which the latter fell in love with his costar, the actor wrote in the book.
In the autobiography, Anand recalls fixing a meeting with Aman to profess his feelings for her. But “a drunken Raj Kapoor... threw his arms around her exuberantly. This suddenly struck me as a little too familiar. And the way she reciprocated his embrace seemed much more than just polite and courteous,” he wrote.
Speaking at the event, Aman added, “Now, I am not sure about the perspective of Dev sahab. Lekin main haq se kehti hoon, bilkul galat tha, main apni kitaab me zarur likhungi. I admire Dev Sahab, but this was not correct.”