Veteran actor Zeenat Aman she was one of the biggest stars of the 1970s, earning labels such as “sex symbol” and “bold” actress for playing glamorous and unconventional characters on screen. Although these roles defined her public image for decades, Zeenat says they never reflected who she really was. In a recent interview, she talked about the disconnect between her on-screen persona and her real persona, while recalling how filmmakers were more interested in her looks than her creative input.Zeenat said in an interview with Shubra Ayyappa on her YouTube channel, “I always found there was such a disparity between what was projected about me and the person I really was. The sex symbol label stayed with me for a long time. When people met me, they would realize that I really wasn’t like the characters I portrayed.” Reflecting on working in the film industry during this period, Zeenat revealed that film sets were mostly dominated by men. Apart from her hairdresser, she was often the only woman present. Despite being the lead actress, she said she had little say in shaping her characters or her portrayal, as the focus was mainly on her looks. “No one was interested in it being cerebral. They were only interested in gayegi, nachegi, do dialog bolegi, bheegegi, barish mein (sing, dance, say two dialogues, get wet in the rain),” he said. Zeenat also spoke about her fashion sense and how her exposure to global trends influenced her style after returning to India from the US. He said costume design is usually a collaborative effort with famous designers such as Bhanu Athaiya. However, he revealed that, if anything, his own suggestions were often more restricted than the filmmakers wanted. When asked if her ideas were rejected for being too bold, Zeenat laughed and said, “On the contrary, I feel my inputs were always modest and the additions that people wanted were not so modest. It’s happened to me in several films where they wanted more cleavage, more back projection, which came from the production.” The veteran actor also addressed the issue of wage inequality in the film industry, saying the reasons behind the disparity remain rooted in a patriarchal system. According to her, men have traditionally controlled financial decisions in commercial cinema, which has contributed to the gender pay gap. “Honestly, I think the financial powers are mostly with the men. Men are the ones who handle the finances and it’s still a very patriarchal society and any commercial cinema, it handles that,” she said, adding that while the industry has made some progress over the years, the change has been gradual.