Zeenat Aman’s First Onscreen Kiss

Zeenat
Aman
went
down
memory
lane
to
share
the
details
of
her
first
onscreen
kiss.

It
was
with
Shashi
Kapoor
in
Raj
Kapoor’s

Satyam
Shivam
Sundaram.

‘With
those
twinkling
eyes
and
handsome
features,
Shashi
Kapoor
was
every
Indian
schoolgirl’s
fantasy!
Myself
included,’
Zeenat
posts
on
social
media.

‘The
first
time
I
saw
him,
I
was
still
in
boarding
school.

‘He
came
to
Panchgani
with
the
members
of
the
Shakespeareana
theatre
company
(including
his
future
wife
Jennifer)
to
perform
Shakespeare!

‘And
my
goodness,
he
had
the
girls
in
a
swoon.’

‘As
my
luck
would
have
it,
Shashi
was
a
south
Bombay
resident
and
lived
not
too
far
down
the
road
from
me.’

‘Now
neighbours
talk,
and
word
soon
got
around
that
“THE”
Shashi
Kapoor
had
the
daily
habit
of
an
evening
perambulation
at
6
pm
on
the
dot.’

‘My
girl
friends
and
I,
quite
in
the
tizzy
of
youth,
spent
an
entire
winter
break
convincing
our
parents
we
needed
fresh
air
and
that
a
sunset
walk
was
necessary
for
our
good
health.’

‘Of
course,
all
we
were
hoping
for
was
a
glimpse
of
the
movie
star
in
his
shorts!’

‘When
eventually
Shashi
and
my
career
paths
crossed,
I
found
myself
in
the
company
of
a
cheeky,
intelligent
and
charming
man,’
she
adds.

‘He
was
quick
with
both
quip
and
smile,
and
we
ended
up
costarring
in
a
number
of
memorable
films
including

Roti,
Kapada
Aur
Makaan,
Chori
Mera
Kaam
and

Vakil
Babu.

‘I
know
I’ve
already
covered

Satyam
Shivam
Sundaram
a
fair
bit,
but
I
chose
to
share
this
clip
with
you
for
two
reasons.

‘Firstly,
it
was
a
big
moment
in
my
career.

‘It
was
my
first
on
screen
kiss,
and
though
it
caused
an
uproar
at
the
time,
it’s
actually
quite
chaste.

‘I
truly
did
not
have
a
moment
of
discomfort
while
shooting
it.

‘Secondly,
because
schoolgirl
Zeenat
would
be
thrilled
by
the
audacity
of
this
post,
and
the
realisation
that
a
schoolgirl
crush
can
actualise
even
if
only
for
celluloid!

‘He
was
a
warm
and
wonderful
man,
and
it
is
truly
special
to
see
his
legacy
alive
and
thriving
in
my
neighbourhood
in
the
form
of
Prithvi
Theatre.’

Photographs
curated
by
Satish
Bodas/Rediff