In this clip of an interview with BBC, it’s all the more evident that she was inherently confident in her own skin. But, what’s really interesting is how she talks about the power dynamic that existed between women and men in the film industry, during the 1970s. 

Films are financed by men, written by men and mostly about men. Leading men were always paid a lot more than the leading ladies. There were very few films that were women-oriented or where we had skilful female technicians at the time. But there has been a change and I am really happy for that. 

-Zeenat Aman told BBC

While chatting, Haroon Rashid also asked Zeenat Aman about harassment in the film industry, and how much she’d heard about it or experienced it. The actor said that she was never subjected to the whole casting couch experience. 

I can only speak for myself. A lot of people talk about the casting couch and so and so forth. I received success with almost my first film Hare Rama Hare Krishna. So I had a lot of people approaching me for work, based on that success. So I personally did not experience that. 

-Zeenat Aman told BBC

And then the conversation between the two shifted towards how women from the film industry were often ostracized or dismissed for speaking their minds at the time, which seems like a pretty valid factor to consider in terms of how harassment can play out in professional spaces. 

You can watch the full interview here. 

We love her for every bit of poise and confidence she brings to the table.