'Jenny Baby' (Zeenat Aman) who changed the image of heroines in Hindi films

She kept telling me to watch a movie with which she was making her comeback in films. I knew that the movie would be very bad. Still, I went to watch it for my old friend “Jenny Baby” and while coming out of the theatre I wondered why Zeenat Aman, the woman who ruled the world, this the one movie of hers which was only worth throwing in the dustbin, with which she came to make her comeback. As I walked home in a disturbed state, I was lost in the old memories of Zeenat Aman.

Her father, Amanullah Khan, K.Office was the dialogue writer of “Mughal-e-Azam” which was one of the major highlights of the film, the dialogue is remembered even today and will be remembered as long as the film exists. Her mother was a German, Mrs. Heinz, and she was their only daughter whom they named Zeenat Aman.

Zeenat was raised by her mother herself after her father died! She was sent to the best schools in Mumbai and then to the best boarding school. Her mother (Mrs. Heinz) was very ambitious for her daughter who believed that her daughter was the most beautiful girl in the world, then she was sent to the best grooming schools in the west and then returned to Mumbai as a beauty queen. She participated in many beauty contests and finally won the title of 'Miss Asia' which brought her into the limelight. All the beauty admirers loved her but Dev Anand approached her mother and demanded to allow Zeenat to play the biggest role. He firmly believed that Zeenat could play some kind of role in the new film he was planning, "Hare Rama Hare Krishna" which was a film based on the new hippie cult that was sweeping the country and the world. Dev had already signed Mumtaz to play his leading lady. He wanted a young, western-oriented, free of all inhibitions, bold, brave, and bright new girl in the film to play the role of his young sister, who loses track of her well-to-do family, joins the hippies in Kathmandu, Nepal, and becomes addicted to drugs. Mrs. Heinz was very interested, especially because it was a film to be made by her favorite actor, Dev. Zeenat was interested in pursuing a career as an actress. She did not know the basics of acting, but Dev told her that it was his responsibility as a director to ensure that she was the actress he wanted to work with.

Dev started shooting the film all over Nepal and the shooting continued till the film was completed. Dev concentrated on the character of Zeenat and Zeenat was a very eager learner. She soon became the hippie (Janis) that Dev wanted her to be and was almost mistreated as a hippie by some of her friends and relatives during the shooting of the film. And with that one strong, “Dum Maaro Dum” Zeenat was on her way to stardom without being aware of it. And when “Hare Rama Hare Krishna” was released it became a talking point in the whole industry and soon the whole country too, but still for something else in the film it was Zeenat Aman, her character was never seen before in Hindi films and a song ‘Dum Maaro Dum’ was created with all the gusto by R.D.Burman which made Zeenat a star overnight like few other female stars. She was the rebel star, she played the kind of role that no other actress of that time would have even dared to play. She was criticized by the old-timers but was welcomed with open arms by the new generation of Indians who were running away from the grim realities of life. She played the role with such conviction that it was just Zeenat and it was Zeenat in every way in the film, which was acknowledged by her discoverer Dev himself. Zeenat was representative of the new face of heroine in Hindi films.

The industry saw her as a heroine who could portray the woman of a changing India. She was the most sought-after actress soon after the release of the film. Her first preference was always for the films of her mentor, Dev and she did many films with him because she felt he was the only actor and director who could understand her and knew how to deal with her. She was branded as the modern woman in a mood to change the face of the traditional Indian woman, the woman who was Indian, but who wanted a change. She could turn up with the best anywhere in the world. It was her new image that made her. She gave a whole new dimension to the traditional 'Indian woman'. Her dialogue spoken with an accent, her dressing and her ways of life made Hindi films imagine the kind of heroine that could never have been there a few years back. She was the glamour girl among all the other actresses and was also the highest-paid actress. She was always considered a glamour girl, an actress who was ready to rebel, who had the guts to do scenes that other actresses could not even dream of doing and it was this factor in her career that made her the leading female star of her generation which paved the way for other girls like her to follow in her footsteps. She is still a model for some actresses even though she quit acting years ago.

Zeenat tried her best to get recognized as a good actress but unfortunately never succeeded. She even tried her best to impress Raj Kapoor when she made one last attempt. She played the true Indian woman who according to Raj Kapoor was more of a story of soul than body in his film “Satyam Shivam Sundaram” but as Raj Kapoor himself confessed, “People will come to see Zeenat’s breasts but will go back after seeing the soul of my film. It is through her beautiful body that I am discovering the soul of a woman’s beauty.” However both Zeenat and ‘Satyam Shivam Sundaram’ flopped at the box office which was a big blow for Raj and Zeenat was left as a heartbroken actress.

She continued to reign as the number one glamour girl however but soon showed signs of her going astray. It was her affairs of the heart that basically came her way and disturbed her balance. She was earlier linked with Dev Anand and was ready to marry him (and the feelings were mutual) but things did not work out and finally, their beautiful relationship came crashing down when she agreed to play the leading lady in Raj Kapoor's "Satyam Shivam Sundaram". They never worked together again.

She then had an affair with a Pakistani cricketer, Imran Khan, which also failed. Imran was followed by a struggling actor named Kanwaljeet. And then she married Sanjay Khan, who was already a married man, a marriage that ended very painfully, with her brilliant career slowly fading away. She eventually married a failed actor, Mazhar Khan, best known for his role as Abdul in Ramesh Sippy's 'Shaan'. They have two sons, Azhar and Ayan.

Zeenat is now fading from being an actress with no work. She was not even seen in character roles which were considered challenging because even after twenty-five years, serious filmmakers were not ready to accept her as a mature actress who could play roles that needed all the talent. She spent her time bringing up her sons. She tried making films but could not fulfill her desire. She is now free from the responsibilities of bringing up her sons whom she is trying to turn into actors. She is still full of enthusiasm for life. She tried politics and campaigned for Congress during elections but could not make any impact. She then started appearing in some reality shows on television and is busy looking for other ways to use her experience, her enthusiasm and energy which is still intact. She has a whole story that is good enough to be included in the form of a book and she believes that she can write that book one day.

Some more things about Jenny Baby

She was a leading model in both India and the West and was a brand ambassador long before the term 'brand ambassador' came into vogue. Her career was managed by her mother until she became a huge star. Zeenat then became a symbol of the independent and free-thinking woman who could defy all traditions, customs, and values ​​that Indians had. She described herself as a citizen of the world and a woman of the future.

Zeenat was the first actress to bring in fashion design and make it a big business. Her clothes were designed by some of the most renowned designers in the world who in turn created a lucrative business designing which is being pursued by young men and women these days who are stars in their own rights.

Zeenat became a style icon. What she wore in her films became fashionable among the young girls of the time, who called her the Jenny Baby style.  

Zeenat was so thrilled to work with Raj Kapoor that she became obsessed with getting his attention. One afternoon she walked into his cabin wearing a transparent white half saree, knowing she was the showman's weakness and her efforts proved successful. Raj decided to cast her as the lead lady of his film, "Satyam Shivam Sundaram", as he had considered almost all the major heroines.

All attempts by the directors to make her speak proper Hindi failed and she spoke as usual and continued to do so till the end. Zeenat worked with all the big heroes, Dev Anand, Dharmendra, Shashi Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna, and Amitabh Bachchan with whom she did the most films. She also worked with smaller heroes like Vijay Arora and Kanwaljit.

Renowned Hollywood actress, Gina Lollobrigida, who worked with her in Shalimar, called her the most beautiful woman I have seen in the whole East.

Zeenat was a bookworm. She always carried books with her kept an eye on all the best sellers and was a voracious reader. Zeenat recalls her role as a 'rape victim' who fights for justice in 'Insaaf Ka Tarazu' as her most memorable role. She proved to be an ideal wife when she took care of her husband, Mazhar, who died of pancreatic cancer at a very young age. Zeenat sometimes believes that she should have been a part of the industry today when girls have everything they want, but she had the freedom to do whatever she wanted with her time, “with absolutely no regrets”. Some of today’s leading actresses seek her advice on how she stays fit even now.

Zeenat also had the privilege of naming diamonds and perfumes in her days. Sometimes a story changes so many colors, and a common man cannot understand how the story will move forward, that is why the fun of living life increases.  

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