Zeenat Aman on Dev Anand misunderstanding her bond with Raj Kapoor; 'I was hurt...'

Zeenat Aman recently concluded her series of posts about Dev Anand. In a long note, she opened up about the misunderstanding Anand had about her relationship with Raj Kapoor. The actress made her Bollywood debut in the 1971 film Hare Rama Hare Krishna as the Baazi actor's sister. 

However, Zeenat wanted to broaden her portfolio and starred in a string of movies both "with and without him." The actress took to her Instagram handle and shared a throwback with Anand. In the photo, they can be seen having a conversation. She started her note by mentioning the "golden trio" of Dev Anand, Dilip Kumar, and Raj Kapoor. "Dev saab had already launched my career, and I was now keen to broaden my portfolio. Over the next few years, I starred in a string of movies, both with and without him," she wrote. 

"Meanwhile Raj ji's 1973 release Bobby had been a blockbuster hit that had swept every award. We knew each other socially too, exchanging warm greetings at public events. He was also my costar in Vakil Babu and Gopichand Jasoos. Naturally, I wanted to be directed by him under the RK banner, and when the opportunity arose I jumped at it. The story of how I landed SSS is well-known, so I won’t repeat it," she added. 

Zeenat opened up about her desire to work under the RK banner after Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia's Bobby became a hit. The actress shared the screen with Raj in films like Vakil Babu and Gopichand Jasoos but she was directed by him in Satyam Shivam Sundaram. Expressing her thoughts on the situation, she said, "I was giddy to have been cast for Raj ji's unconventional project, and put heart and soul into it. I was completely unaware that Dev saab was simultaneously misreading the situation."

'Dev Anand professed his love for me'

Zeenat Aman shared she was "humiliated, hurt and disconcerted" after Dev Anand confessed his feelings for the actress in his autobiography Romancing with Life and insinuated that Raj Kapoor and she had more than an "actor-director relationship". She wrote, "Years later, in 2007, ‘Romancing with Life’, Dev Saab’s autobiography hit the stands. In it he professed that he was in love with me, and insinuated that Raj ji and I had more than a director-actor equation which broke his heart."

"To be honest, I was livid. I felt humiliated, hurt and disconcerted that Dev saab, my much older mentor, a person I loved and admired platonically, would not only believe such a story devoid of a shred of truth, but would then go on to publish it for the world to read. For weeks my phone rang incessantly as friends inquired about “what really happened” and shared excerpts from the book. I never did read it though, and in my anger I consigned the copy I was sent to storage in the basement!"

'This episode embarrassed me deeply' 

Zeenat Aman shared that the incident embarrassed her deeply and called it a "great misunderstanding." "So here it is - the great misunderstanding. This episode embarrassed me deeply. For years I felt unable to talk about it to set the record straight. But now, time has granted me perspective and peace. Human folly is an eternal truth, and we all fall victim at one point or another. I will always remember Dev saab for his rare talent and warm guidance. He has my earnest gratitude and I do not tolerate disrespect to his name," she concluded.