Zeenat Aman, Helen talk about crushes on co-star, Bollywood’s golden days

MUMBAI — Veteran stars Zeenat Aman and Helen took a stroll down memory lane as they talked about romance, crushes on co-stars and the golden days of Hindi cinema on the sets of singing based reality show Indian Idol.

While interaction led by host Aditya Narayan, Helen spoke about romantic co-stars and off-screen interactions, with her trademark wit and simplicity.

She shared, “Mera itna interaction nahi hota tha. Main kursi aur kitab leke ek kone mein chup-chaap se ek corner mai baith jaati thi. (I wasn’t very interactive. I would take a chair and a book and quietly sit in one corner.)”

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Recalling how people perceived her quiet nature, she added humorously, “Log kehte the yeh sabko furniture ke jaise dekhti hai. (People used to say that she looks at everyone as if they were furniture.)”

Zeenat Aman chimed in, playfully clarifying the question: “Yeh aap meri personal zindagi ki baat kar rahe ho ya parde par jo romance hota hai uski? (Are you talking about my personal life, or the romance that happens on screen?)”

As she showed the picture of late star Dev Anand on screen, she reflected on her journey, sharing, “Of course, maine bhen ke role se shuru kiya lekin baki filmo mai very romantic (Of course, I started with a sister’s role, but in my other films, I was very romantic.)”

The conversation became even more candid when Aditya Narayan the host asked if Zeenat ever had a crush on a co-star.

With honesty, she said, “Haan, mujhe apne co-workers par crushes hote the. (Yes, I did have crushes on my co-workers.)”

She added: “Agar romantic gaana hota tha, toh gaane ke dauraan chhota sa crush hota tha do teen din ke liye. Phir next movie, next song, next crush. (If there was a romantic song, I’d develop a little crush during the song—for two or three days. Then it was the next movie, the next song, the next crush.)”