Bollywood's first bold actress Zeenat Aman turns 61 today

New Delhi, Nov19: The beautiful diva of the Seventies in Bollywood Zeenat Aman who set a bench mark for the other ladies to bring forth bold acts has turned 61 today. Zeenat Aman set the trend in her prime days. She was one bold babe who dropped all inhibitions and embraced glamour with utmost grace. In those days, she was known as the Hare Rama, Hare Krishna girl.The actress was born to Amanullah Khan, a Muslim who was the script writer of many Bollywood Movies like Pakeezah while her mother was a Hindu. After her father's death, her mother remarried Mr Heinz who was a German. Her family moved to Germany but she stayed back in India.Zeenat was among those few actresses who were quite well educated in those days before her entry to Bollywood. Zeenat began her career as a journalist after graduating from the St.Xavier's College in Mumbai and then pursued further studies in the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. She acquired an Anglicized accent coupled with a Westernised outlook, unlike the behenji-type actresses of that era.Soon the lady turned herself to modeling and later became the second runner up at the Miss India Contest and in 1970 was subsequently crowned Miss Asia Pacific.She debuted in Bollywood with a cameo role in O.P.Ralhan's film Hulchul in 1971. Her second outing in the movie Hungama in 1971 was equally unsuccessful. She was ready to admit defeat when Dev Anand offered the role of his sister to Zeenat as a last minute choice, for his film Hare Rama Hare Krishna in 1972. Though the role was a secondary one but is remembered even today and is still associated with this landmark movie. Her performance fetched her prestigious Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award.The duo was seen in many more films of which some were a disaster like “Ishq Ishq Ishq” in 1974 and some like “Warrant” in 1975 was successful at the box office.Her pairing up with Vijay Arora in the unforgettable film “Yaadon Ki Baaraat” in 1973 was hugely admired. She donned opposite Amitabh Bachchan in Don and Pukar and Rajesh Khanna in Ajnabee.Her sex symbol image and her bold confidence was utilised in many movies as well as magazine covers. The sizzling hot actress was seen almost topless in many sequences, with a transparent saree covering her front in 'Satyam Shivam Sundaram' in 1978, a typical Raj Kapoor hallmark. She draped sarees seductively around her sexy curves and gave blouses a miss. But, the transparent show of her sexuality by Raj Kapoor for his 1978 film “Satyam Shivam Sundaram” was criticised by many, though reportedly she had openly campaigned for the role.Her international looks gave her a role in Krishan Shah's Hollywood venture Shalimar in 1978 that had Hollwood heavy weights like Rex Harrison and Sylvia Miles, but the movie proved disaster both in USA as well as India.Her other international venture was successful and Zeenat Aman became very popular in Russia after the Indo-Russian film “Ali Baba Aur 40 Chor”.This gorgeous beauty who was affectionately called ‘Babushka' by her mother, had been linked to many of her male co-stars, but the one with actor-producer-director Sanjay Khan was the most serious and which ended in a nasty and violent fashion.Zeenat wasn't lucky too, in her marriage with late actor Mazhar Khan, whose alleged domestic abuse led to their divorce. Since then, she has remained single and looked after her two sons.Her last outing in Bollywood as the leading lady was in the film Gawahi in 1989. She has performed in the play ‘The Graduate' as the Mrs. Robinson in 2004, in Mumbai. She is still seen in films, in cameo roles; she has acted in films like the disastrous Boom in 2003, Ugly Aur Pagli in 2008.She was at the forefront of the troop of urbanized, modern, young actresses who were not unashamed to show off their beautiful figures or relationships, and those who followed her footsteps like Parveen Babi and Sarika were often dubbed as the ‘poor man's version' of the real Zeenat.We wish Zeenat Aman a very happy Birthday.