Zeenat Aman shared a scene from her superhit 1980 film Dostana, with Amitabh Bachchan, and sparked a conversation on women’s rights and changing morality.
Veteran actor Zeenat Aman recently opened up about how movies back in her era came from a patriarchal mindset. She shared a scene from her superhit 1980 film Dostana, with Amitabh Bachchan, and sparked a conversation on women’s rights and changing morality.
Taking to her Instagram handle, Zeenat posted a video from Dostana and reflected on the condescending attitude of men back in the 70s. In the scene, Zeenat’s character, Sheetal, can be seen walking on a beach in a swimwear, when she gets harassed by a man. She then fearlessly drags him to the police station, where Inspector Vijay, played by Amitabh, takes the offender into custody.
Zeenat Aman wrote in the caption of the video, “Every now and then I’ll find myself flipping through clips from my old movies, in search of something to share with you. Today I found one from Great Gambler, one from Don, and then the algorithm offered me this. A scene so ripe for social commentary that it sent me into a spin!”
The veteran actor added, “When one is young one thinks the moralities of the time are set in granite. Absolute and unyielding; at best to be chipped at by one’s own impotent acts of rebellion. Then the years turn, and one day you look up from your screen and think ‘wow, everything changed.’ Okay, perhaps not everything. The moral police is no doubt as vigilant as ever today, but the narrative has certainly progressed.”
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Later in the clip, Inspector Vijay questions Sheetal about her “revealing” clothes and asks her to reconsider her outfit choices. He suggests that she should dress more modestly, like women of the previous generation. Sheetal, however, challenges him, asking what was wrong with her clothing and asserting that her choices are entirely her own, firmly putting him in his place. Vijay then adds that he felt it was his duty to offer the suggestion.
Zeenat’s caption further read, “If you’re a woman who watched this clip, let me make a few guesses – You were infuriated by the eve-teasing and resonated with Sheetal’s discomfort and anger, having probably experience such a thing firsthand. You loved that she dragged her harasser to the police station, a triumph you probably never felt… And then you were incensed by our hero, Inspector Vijay’s, condescending opinion and tone! Am I right? Well that opinion and tone were par for the course back in the day. The patronising attitude to women who defied convention, the barely veiled ‘you’re asking for it” gaze and that superior air!’”
Asking if women reading her post were furious about it or not, she wrote, “Oh, I am glad you’re annoyed. That’s what’s changed. Back in the day your average woman would think Vijay to be a mighty upstanding gentleman because Sheetal deserved a reprimand just as much as her harasser. But the young woman I showed it to earlier today? She sneered at the poor Inspector and said ‘What a loser.’ I had a good laugh at that.”
“Now I myself have graduated to being more of a realist. I absolutely support the right of women (all people actually) to wear what they please, while also understanding that the world doesn’t operate on my ideals, and that some outfits are more suitable for one place than another. Is that archaic of me? Perhaps, but be patient. My every hair has turned silver, and the truth is that the new social codes and lingo are as confusing to me as those ones were stifling. I would love your comments on this. Especially if you’re better informed than me!” the actor concluded.
Besides Zeenat Aman and Amitabh Bachchan, Dostana also featured Shatrughan Sinha in the lead role. Directed by Raj Khosla, the film was a huge commercial success.
