Zeenat Aman reveals how she would enter the cinema late, once the film had started, and exit early to avoid being mobbed; read here

Zeenat Aman indulges in nostalgia, reflecting on her endless love for cinema. With a journey spanning decades in the industry, she fondly recalls cherished moments, celebrating the magic of both experiencing films as an audience member and contributing to the cinematic landscape herself.
Taking to Instagram, Aman shared images of her seated in the cinema hall and captioned, “Oh the magic of cinema! Sunday was movie day at my boarding school in Panchgani.It was an eagerly anticipated weekly treat. We girls would pile into the gymnasium where the movies were screened, ready to be swept into alternate worlds. I must have been a preteen when I developed my first silver screen crush. It was a dashing Paul Newman in The Silver Chalice, and I wasn’t the only girl to feel my heart flutter when he came on screen.”

She added, “Years later I entered the film industry by chance more than design. There is of course a thrill to being in front of the camera, but I still wager that being a member of the audience is more fun! In my early years as an actor, I would buy tickets for “my” films and watch them incognito to gauge the audience reaction. Often this involved wearing a burkha to avoid being recognised. When I grew too mature for this trick, I would enter the cinema late, once the film had started, and exit early to avoid being mobbed!”
"I suspect the sheer glut of content available now has blunted the thrill of movie watching. But my older followers will remember how novel, exciting and entertaining cinema-going used to be. These two images, taken some 40 years apart, show me as a member of the audience. Demure and a tad self conscious at a theatre in Calcutta sometime in the late 70s; raucous and care free at a screening of “my” Don at Regal Cinema just last year", Aman stated.
The actress concluded, "So, if you’ve felt the magic of cinema, tell me about your favourite film or film watching experience in the comments…"
Zeenat Aman marked her acting debut with the film 'The Evil Within' opposite Dev Anand. She has acted in films like 'Yaadon Ki Baarat', 'Qurbani', 'Dharam Veer', 'Hare Rama Hare Krishna', 'Insaaf Ka Tarazu' among others. She will soon return to the silver screen with Faraz Arif Ansari’s next, 'Bun Tikki'. It will also feature Shabana Azmi.