Zeenat Aman often takes to social media to share anecdotes from her life and have a conversation with fans. On Thursday, the veteran star hosted an AMA session on Reddit where she answered several questions posed by Reddit users. A fan also asked her about a contemporary role she would have liked to play. To this, Aman replied that she would have loved to play Priyanka Chopra’s role of Kashibai from ‘Bajirao Mastaani.’
During a recent ‘Ask Me Anything’ session, legendary actress Zeenat Aman answered several fan questions. A fan probed Aman about a recent role she felt she could have aced. To this, the 73-year-old actress replied, “I don’t know whether I would have nailed it. But I would have loved the chance to play Priyanka Chopra’s character in Bajirao Mastani. It was a complex role that piqued my interest.”
In the film, PeeCee plays a very layered role as she grapples to maintain her strength during her emotional turmoil. After love blossoms Ranveer Singh’s Peshwa Bajirao and Deepika Padukone’s Mastaani, Kashibai, the first wife struggles with jealousy, betrayal, and emotional complexity. To date, Priyanka’s performance as Kashibai remains one of her best roles ever.
During the session, the ‘Qurbani’ actress also reflected on her career. She expressed regret over starring in S. Ali Raza’s ‘Jaanwar’ opposite Rajesh Khanna. “In all honesty, I regret doing Jaanwar. It took eight years to make, and by the end of it, we were just exhausted! It was absolutely tedious to shoot in bits and bobs over so many years.”
Keeping no secrets, the actress also opened up about the opportunity she regrets passing on. Aman laments passing on the hit ‘Amar Akbar Anthony.’ “I have to say that I regret giving up the role I was offered in Amar Akbar Anthony. My negotiations with the director/producer (for whom I had just delivered a smash hit) fell through. I don’t regret holding my ground, but I regret missing out on that role. It seemed like such a fun project.”
Looking at things in retrospect, Zeenat Aman also weighed in on the evolution of the film industry. “I know people like to criticise the Hindi film industry, and much of it is valid. But a major and positive improvement I see is that there are women at every rung of the process, pulling their weight and claiming their place with competence. In my time, it wasn’t unusual to be the only woman on set. So, this is a striking difference to me.”
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Meanwhile, on the work front, Aman is gearing up for the release of ‘Bun Tikki’ and ‘The Royals.’