Zeenat Aman says she was reluctant to attend award show, recalls ‘self-imposed obscurity’ from public eye

Zeenat Aman took to her Instagram to share a picture from the IIFA awards a decade ago, when she was recognized for Outstanding Achievement in Cinema.

Zeenat Aman often shares anecdotes from her career and life journey with her fans through Instagram. The veteran actor has now shared a picture from the IIFA awards ceremony from over a decade ago, and recalled how she was reluctant to go out in the public as that was the time when she was away from the public eye. (Also read: Zeenat Aman shares pic of her sans make-up, says she still gets nervous before events: ‘I start out as frumpy Z aunty’)

Zeenat Aman shared memories of attending an award ceremony.

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Zeenat was seen in a sparkling black gown in the picture, as she held her IIFA Award and smiled for the cameras. In the caption, she began: “There aren’t too many pictures of me from this phase of my life. And certainly very few glamorous ones. Which makes this memory all the sweeter. Those were the quiet years - acutely so for me, but probably a phase that many middle aged women can relate to.”

She went on to add, “It was the summer of 2010, and the who’s who of Hindi cinema had flown down to Colombo, Sri Lanka, to attend the IIFA Awards. I was quite surprised to receive an invite, steeped as I was in homemaking alongside the odd work appearance.”

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Recalling how she was awarded for her body of work, she said: “Despite some reluctance on my part, the awards committee insisted on plucking me out of my self-imposed obscurity. So my two boys and I packed our bags and boarded a flight. It turned out to be a wonderful visit. I was honoured with an award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinema, and felt the allure of my craft after a long while. Not to mention that the people-watching was exceptional!”

Concluding the post, she said: “You see, I am more an observer than a talker. The event was sponsored by a renowned alcohol company, and their vodka kept the attendees in unguarded, high spirits! There were enough shenanigans underway to fill a gossip magazine, but you know me, I believe discretion is the better part of valour.”

Zeenat is all set to make a comeback in Bun Tikki, which also stars Shabana Azmi and is directed by Faraaz Arif Ansari. She will also be a part of the Netflix show The Royals, starring Ishan Khatter, Bhumi Pednekar and Nora Fatehi.