Veteran actress Zeenat Aman had a fight with director Nasir Hussain while convincing him to let her wear the iconic white culottes in the classic 1973 song Chura Liya Hai Tumne Jo Dil Ko from Yaadon Ki Baaraat, she said on Friday, revealing that the filmmaker wanted her to wear a pink outfit instead.
Hussain was initially against the outfit, preferring the churidar-kurta look popular among 1960s heroines, she said. However, Aman was determined to wear something that was more in tune with her personal style.
“I had to fight Nasir Saab for it! He had wanted to present me in the likes of the heroines of the 60s whose churidar-kurta look with winged eyeliner and bouffant had captivated fashionistas at the time. I personally felt gawky in the original outfit and was keen on wearing something more true to my own style,” wrote Aman alongside a clip from the song on Instagram.
“Those of you who actually saw the film, may have noticed that in the scene preceding the song, I’m wearing a tight pink salwar kameez before magically appearing in the white number that set such a trend. I’m quite happy to take credit for that outfit change,” Aman recalled, noting that Hussain eventually agreed to her look, including the centre-parted hair and black choker.
Reflecting on the song’s timeless appeal, the 73-year-old actress wrote, “The song’s familiar riff has been played upon my entrance, or I’ve had a guitar thrust into my hands to mime my moves from the video.”
“Once the film released, the song took on a life of its own and I think I can safely say it’s cemented a place on the list of most loved Hindi film songs of all time,” continued Aman, honouring the music director RD Burman, lyricist Majrooh Sultan and singers Asha Bhosle and Mohammad Rafi.
“I believe Asha ji herself chose it as one of her favourites,” concluded the Pukar actress, who is currently gearing up for Faraz Arif Ansari’s Bun Tikki and the Netflix series The Royals.
Released theatrically on November 9, 1973, Yaadon Ki Baaraat boasts an ensemble cast, including Dharmendra, Vijay Arora, Tariq Khan, Zeenat Aman, Neetu Singh, Hamid Ali Khan and Raju Daniel.
The film follows brothers Ratan (Tariq Khan), Vijay (Vijay Arora) and Shankar (Dharmendra), who are orphaned when their father is killed by the criminal Shakhaal (Hamid Ali Khan). Years later, the brothers join hands, seeking revenge. Aman played Sunita, Vijay’s love interest, in the film.
Yaadon Ki Baaraat also marked Aamir Khan’s acting debut as a child actor.