Zeenat Aman on life, veg biryani & trolls
Veteran Bollywood star Zeenat Aman, in her latest social media post, has reflected on the idea of how ‘no life is truly tidy and that every lived experience is, in fact, a mess.’
Sharing a carousel post of photographs from her recent time in Jaipur, the actress gave a deeply introspective note on how people often mistake ‘appearances for reality.’
In her social media post, Zeenat Aman wrote, “We delude ourselves about the neatness of life. The truth is no life is neat. Those we see and those we read about seem to possess neatness only because we know so little about them. The hidden sprawl behind the face at the door is always vast.”
The actress further went on to underline how every life carries its own struggles and demons. “Every life is beset by its unseen demons, avarice, jealousy, deceit, lust, violence. There is no neatness in any life great or small. It is only an illusion men foolishly pursue. The face at the door is just that, the face at the door. All lived lives are a mess.”
The actress further shared that she had been recently browsing through books and ‘soaking in the evening light in Jaipur during the Literature Festival’, which made her to reflect on how carefully people package themselves for the world and how in real are very opposite of it all.
She wrote, “I browsed through books and caught the evening light in Jaipur at the Literature festival some days ago. It left me ruminating on the messiness of life. How carefully each one of us packages ourselves for the world, and how much more gnarly is each one of our realities? Maybe this is one reason we love gossip, it exposes the faults behind the facade. But this is also the reason I love literature, it allows me to briefly, intimately and empathetically inhabit other lives. @zanuski was kind enough to document some moments from my week, so here you will find a ‘neat’ glimpse into my world:”
The photographs shared alongside the post offered a quiet and personal glimpse into her world. One image showed Zeenat Aman standing against a heritage architectural backdrop in Jaipur, dressed in a soft, elegant ensemble, bathed in warm golden light. For this she wrote, “On my plate… a steaming serving of vegetarian biryani (now don’t bash me over the head about there being “no such thing”, you know very well what I mean). On my feet… my powder blue Birkenstocks, which are my go to footwear. And yes, I do have a tattoo but that is a story for another time.”
She gave another sneak peek into her moments and wrote, “On my nightstand… a selection of teas, and the vaseline and Nivea lip balms that I’m never found without. On my bookshelf… some fiction, some non fiction (the opening quote is from The Alchemy of Desire, Tarun J Tejpal’s sprawling debut novel and one of my favourite books).
She further added, “On my screen… ‘Caught Stealing’, because I love a crime thriller with a side of comedy. And outside my window… sweet Lily waiting to be let back into our bedroom.
Zeenat Aman concluded her note by writing, “Enjoy the weekend my friends. Find soothe in the knowledge that the neatness of life is a myth, and time is best spent making our mess delightful instead of sordid.” She added, “,Do share your favourite books and authors in the comments, we can curate a wonderful reading list from these.”
The actress, who is currently in her mid 70s, is widely admired for her ability to articulate complex emotions with clarity and grace, something that her social media posts often speak volumes of.
Over the years, Zeenat Aman has been part of many blockbuster Hindi movies such as Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Don, Qurbani and Roti Kapda Aur Makaan.
