Zeenat Aman on working with Rajesh Khanna: I was totally intimidated by him

Veteran actor Zeenat Aman shared her experience of working with Rajesh in the early days of her career and said that she was intimidated by his presence on the set. The two have worked together in films like Ajanabee (1974), Prem Kahani (1975), Chhailla Babu (1977) and Aashiq Hoon Baharon Ka (1977), among others.

In an interaction with Film Companion, Zeenat said, “I remember when I had just started in the film industry and Rajesh Khanna was the phenomenon. I mugged up all my lines so that I wouldn’t flub a single thing. I was totally intimidated by him but did I show him? Not at all. I went to him and I performed. So, when I went back to my makeup room, I was like, ‘Wow. I just gave a shot with a superstar.’ I think that’s the right attitude to have.”

Shabana Azmi was also present during the chat and Zeenat went on to praise her acting skills as she added, “This lady here (Shabana), she is a queen of performance. I had such a time just watching her work. She takes what is given to her and just rolls away. It was delightful.”

The two will be collaborating together for the upcoming film Bun Tikki which also stars Abhay Deol in the lead. It is directed by Sheer Qorma (2021) director Faraz Arif Ansari and produced by designer Manish Malhotra.