Zeenat Aman’s breakthrough in films came with Dev Anand's drama film Haré Rama Haré Krishna (1971).
Zeenat Aman, the yesteryear Bollywood actress, made her debut in Hindi films with The Evil Within (1970) alongside Dev Anand. Next year, she starred in O. P. Ralhan's Hulchul, and then in Hungama. However, her breakthrough came with Dev Anand's Haré Rama Haré Krishna (1971), which featured her as Jasbir/Janice, and emerged as a critical and commercial success.
Post that, there was no looking back for the actress, and the flamboyant artist went on to feature in several hits including Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973), Roti Kapada Aur Makaan (1974), Don (1978), Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978), The Great Gambler (1979), Qurbani (1980), Insaf Ka Tarazu (1980), and several others.
Now as the actress celebrates her 73rd birthday on November 19, here’s a look at 5 best films of the evergreen actress:
Cast: Zeenat Aman, Shashi Kapoor, Padmini Kohlapure, Tun Tun, Kanhaiyalal
The film remains one of the most acclaimed Zeenat Aman movies of all time, and explores the themes of physical and spiritual love. The film saw Rajeev (Shashi Kapoor), an engineer, falling in love with Rupa – a woman with a soulful voice but an unscarred left cheek. However, things change when he discovers the bruised cheek, and how his wife and mistress are actually two faces of the same person.
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Zeenat Aman, Pran, Mac Mohan, Om Shivpuri, Iftekhar
One of the most popular Zeenat Aman and Amitabh Bachchan films, Don revolves around a powerful gangster named Don (Amitabh Bachchan), who escapes from the police and is killed. In an attempt to get the whole gang, D'Silva enlists a man named Vijay, since he is the spitting image of the actual Don. The film featured Zeenat Aman as Roma.
Cast: Feroz Khan, Vinod Khanna, Zeenat Aman, Amjad Khan, Amrish Puri, Kader Khan
The film saw Zeenat Aman win everyone’s hearts with the song Aap Jaisa Koi. Qurbani was reportedly said to be inspired by the 1972 Italian-West German film The Master Touch.
Cast: Dev Anand, Zeenat Aman, Mumtaz, Junior Mehmood, Prem Chopra, Iftekhar
In the Dev Anand directorial, the plot revolves around a young man in Kathmandu trying to find his long-lost sister. Since she is accompanied by a group of hippies, he wants to bring her back to the family, but it seems more difficult than ever. The film was influenced by the 1968 American psychedelic film Psych-Out.
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Shatrughan Sinha, Raj Khosla, Zeenat Aman, Pran, Amrish Puri
The film follows friendship between two close friends, Vijay and Ravi, who decide to enter law enforcement – one becomes a police officer and the other a lawyer. However, they end up falling in love with the same woman (Sheetal).
