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At 67, Zeenat Aman talks about lessons from life

I won't do faaltu roles. I will wait for something that does justice to me: Zeenat Aman

Zeenat Aman, who made a splash in Bollywood for her unconventional film choices, turned a year older on Sunday. So how did the diva, who at one time, was everyone’s favourite pinup fantasy, bring in her birthday this year? “With my two sons,” she says exuding her trademark throaty joie de vivre. “That ritual remains unchanged. When I was a younger, I had to be with my mother for every birthday no matter where I happened to be. Now that sense of family kinship has been passed on to my sons. I am the happiest when I am with them. They are good well brought-up boys. I am very proud of them.”

The past year, says Zeenat, has been tough on her. “It has been a learning experience. I’ve gone through one of the worst periods in my life. Luckily I am out of it, thanks to my sons and some very close and supportive friends.”

On the work front, Zeenat remains selective. “There is not much to choose for actresses of a certain age. But I can’t complain. I think I had a good innings in my earlier days. I worked with the very best — be it Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand, Shammi Kapoor, Feroz Khan, Nasir Hussain, Manoj Kumar, Manmohan Desai and Raj Khosla. That is quite a list! I learnt so much from these masters. I enjoyed every bit of the challenge that was thrown at me when I had to play a disfigured tribal girl in Satyam Shivam Sunderam or a happy sex worker in Manoranjan,” says the actress, who was in the news for her web series, Love Life and Screwups.

As for the challenges now, “I won’t do faaltu roles. I will wait for something that does justice to me. I have learnt the hard way not to rush into things.”

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