Zeenat Aman addresses accusations of obscenity against Satyam Shivam Sundaram, shares her look test: ‘Rupa’s sensuality was not..’

She wrote, “Anyone acquainted with the history of Bollywood will know that there was much controversy and brouhaha about my character Rupa in Satyam Shivam Sundaram. I was always quite amused by the accusations of obscenity as I did not and do not find anything obscene about the human body. I am a director’s actor and these looks were part of my job. Rupa’s sensuality was not the crux of the plot, but a part of it. As it is, the set is not even remotely a sensual space. Every move is choreographed, rehearsed and performed in front of dozens of crew members.”

Zeenat, 71, shared that the film’s director Raj Kapoor was not sure if she will fit into the role of Rupa because of her ‘western’ image. So, he conducted a look test and also shot a small reel to see the reaction of the distributors towards Zeenat’s casting. She added, “Director Raj Kapoor (Rajji) had brought me on board the film, but was concerned about my “western” image. He was unsure whether the audience would accept me in this avatar, and so conducted this look test. Later, on the basis of this test, we shot a small reel picturised on Lata ji’s famous song ‘Jaago Mohan Pyare’ from the 1956 film Jagte Raho.”

 

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The distributors were impressed with the reel which was shown to them at the RK Studios. “After that first screening, the rights for all territories were immediately sold,” Zeenat Aman shared. She also revealed that her costumes for the film were designed by Oscar-winner costume designer, Bhanu Athaiya.

Earlier, during the TV show My Life My Story, Zeenat Aman spoke about how she got the role in Satyam Shivam Sundaram. She said, “One fine day I got into the character of Rupa from ‘Satyam Shivam Sundaram’. He (Raj Kapoor) was surprised to see me in the look of Rupa (referring to the test look she took). He appreciated my passion towards the character, gave me gold coins and signed me for the film.”

Starring Shashi Kapoor and Zeenat Aman, Satyam Shivam Sundaram was released in 1978, and went on to become a hit.