Happy birthday to the new Queen of Instagram, Zeenat Aman!
When Bollywood diva Zeenat Aman joined Instagram at the age of 71, only few could have anticipated the impact she would have on social media platforms. Famous for her iconic roles in films including Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Satyam Shivam Sundaram, and Don, Zeenat Aman became a fashion icon as well as a symbol of empowerment in the '70s and '80s across India. After many decades, she’s back with her sharp wit, and timeless style, creating a massive resurgence in popularity. Instagram, a platform which is dominated by younger influencers mostly, the actor's voice and openness about life and career have sparked enough fascination among fans and followers of different age groups. In this article, we will explore Zeenat Aman’s unique journey from silver screen to social scenes.
Credit - Insta/@ZeenatAman
On February 11, 2023, the bollywood diva posted a photo with a caption: “Laughing at the places life takes me. Why hello there, instagram”. It was sudden and unprecedented. Veteran actresses joining Instagram is no less of an event. The app almost broke all the records when Jennifer Aniston joined and generated over a million followers within 24 hours. A similar trend was observed on the day of Kareena Kapoor Khan’s instagram debut. As they are mostly famous among GenZ, it was not a big thing. But, Zeenat Aman's entry on social media platform surely deserves a case study because of steady growth in followers to unique content. Currently, she has 777k followers with just 157 posts on Instagram.
Credit - Insta/@ZeenatAman
According to influencer marketing and intelligence platform Qurouz, “Aman has emerged with the highest engagement rate in comparison to other most followed actresses and celebrities on the gram. With 16.6 per cent, Aman is way ahead of others. She is followed by Kareena Kapoor who has about 10 million followers but an engagement rate of only 5.6 per cent, whereas Jennifer Aniston has about 40 million followers and an engagement rate of about 4.9 per cent.”
Meanwhile, the engagement rate is referred to the percentage of the followers engaging with the posted content by liking, sharing, and commenting on the posts. Basically, it indicates an active audience.
Credit - Insta/@ZeenatAman
How the seasoned actress has successfully embraced the digital revolution? Aman credits her son for that. Zahaan Khan, actor's son helped her navigating Instagram. In a recent interview, Zeenat Aman mentioned she found in difficult initially. But “he (Zahaan) reassured her not to worry and that they would work on it together.”
Zeenat Aman studied English literature in Bachelor's course, however, she only shares her posts on Instagram “after receiving a thumbs-up from her family.” She even shared that many times they have created a draft and ultimately decided to not to post to avoid controversy.
About Instagram debut, Zeenat shared, “I had no intentions of making an Instagram debut. My kids kept encouraging me to start a social media handle because they know i love writing. They had been telling me this for one year, so this time, I decided why not? Let me express myself. So, because of them, I got on the gram, as they say!”
Credit - Insta/@ZeenatAman
The answer lies in how the actor's profile is different from others. The posts are well-written, authentic and devoid of artificial enhancements like trendy music. Usually, we observe a lot of sponsored or partnership posts in any actor’s profile. Zeenat Aman has been keeping her profile clean and trustworthy from the beginning while sharing the real and unapologetic version of herself. For instance, she once shared her views about and so-called competition with contemporary Parveen Babi. She also talked about importance of mental health in the post. “Parveen was much more than who she dated or said when she was unwell….she never truly got the chance to say her piece," the veteran actress had written.
Zeenat Aman’s Instagram fame at 72 is a testament to timeless charm, adaptability, and authenticity.
