Birmingham saw a host of Bollywood stars graze its humble streets during the its 100 years of Bollywood celebrations, two very cherished ones Abhay Deol and Zeenat Aman did not just come to Birmingham to join the party but where honoured for their special contribution to the city.
As part of the celebrations acclaimed actors Abhay Deol and Zeenat Aman have received Honorary Awards from Birmingham City Council in recognition of their special contribution to Indian cinema.
Abhay Deol is an actor who doesn’t fit into the usual Bollywood form. Born into an illustrious film family (his uncle is the legendary Dharmendra, his cousins are Sunny and Bobby Deol), he could have easily chosen to be another Bollywood star making popular films that appeal to a wide audience.
Instead, he decided that he was in a position to make a unique contribution to Indian cinema. He has done this with his choice of interesting, off-beat and often edgy projects, working with many first-time directors. Abhay had said after receiving his honorary award “I am thrilled to be have received this award,” this was evident in his gleaming smile.
The legendary Zeenat Aman who took the now familiar route of beauty pageant winner to silver-screen actress and her entry to Indian cinema was like a breath of fresh air. At a time when the portrayal of women seemed to be cast in an outdated stereotypical sari-clad version of Sita, Zeenat revolutionised the depiction of Indian women by bringing the western heroine look to Indian cinema.
She was the first Indian actress who refused a bouffant and cropped a bob at the height of her career and hardly appeared in saris and bindis.
She excelled as the modern woman in control of her life and her choices. Her characters contemplated abortion to pursue a career in Ajnabee (1974), dumped a poor lover to pursue a rich man in Roti Kapada Aur Makaan (1974), and still managed to win audiences’ approval.
Zeenat expressed her gratitude to receiving her award and thanked the city.
By Emb Hashmi
