Zeenat Aman remembers first on-screen kiss with Shashi Kapoor that caused an ‘uproar' but was ‘quite chaste'

Indian Express

12 hours ago

Zeenat Aman had appeared in a few popular films before she got to play Rupa in Raj Kapoor's Satyam Shivam Sundaram, where she starred with Shashi Kapoor. In a recent post on her Instagram, Zeenat, once again, shared an anecdote from the shoot of the film but this time, she spoke about her co-star Shashi, who she had a massive crush on as a teenager.
Zeenat shared the clip of her first on-screen kiss, that was featured in this film, and said that while there was quite an 'uproar' about the kiss, Shashi ensured that she was comfortable during the shoot. Zeenat shared, '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.'
Zeenat also shared in the same caption that she first met Shashi at her boarding school in Panchgani where the actor visited with his theatre group. She said that he was 'was every Indian schoolgirl's fantasy' including her. '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,' she wrote.
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A post shared by Zeenat Aman (@thezeenataman)
She shared that it just so happened that when she lived in Mumbai before she became an actor, Shashi lived in the same neighbourhood, and she, along with her other friends, would wait to catch a glimpse of the star. '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 6pm 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.'
She shared that they eventually worked in many films together – Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Roti, Kapada Aur Makaan, Chori Mera Kaam, and Vakil Babu – and she found him to be a 'cheeky, intelligent and charming man.' 'He was quick with both quip and smile,' she said. She concluded her note by writing, '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.'
In an earlier post, Zeenat had shared that after she was cast for the film, Raj Kapoor's wife Krishna Kapoor, gave her a handful of gold coins.