Zeenat Aman, the 70s Bollywood queen, is winning hearts online

Zeenat Aman has made waves with her social media debut. Actor. Mama. Maverick.

That’s how Zeenat Aman, who delighted Indians in the 1970s with her spearheading style and unconventional Bollywood characters, described herself on Instagram earlier this month when she made her debut there.

Zeenat Aman, the diva itself, winning hearts over social media: 

The 71-year-old has only shared about a dozen times so far – mainly pictures of herself with musings on ageing, her prospectus career and her pet doggy Lily – but her company has captured users’ attention and imagination.

Her first couple of pictures were photos shot of her by a young lady photographer in the “comfort of [her] home”. 

Sporting comfy linen overalls and perched on a stool around a patch of sunlight, Aman considered in her caption how prevalent the male gaze was in films and fashion during the 1970s.

The post has since been circulated thousands of times across social media platforms, with Aman being heralded for sparking a significant conversation in the easiest ways.

But the most amazing part about her Instagram debut is that an entertainer whose most notable performances occurred four decades back has connected with much younger viewers almost immediately. 

Even millennials – who prefer memes, hyperbole and Reels – say they enjoy her deep, reflective captions. Of course, Aman is no alien to celebrity and good and bad attention.

She was already a thriving model when she began her career in Bollywood in 1971 with a small part in a movie called Hulchul.