Veteran actress Zeenat Aman recently sparked renewed discussion about gender norms and morality in films by sharing a clip from her 1980 movie Dostana. The scene once considered bold and provocative — shows Aman’s character standing up against harassment and dragging her offender to the police. Through the post, she called out what she described as the “patronising attitude” common in that era’s cinema.
In her commentary, Aman reflected on how deeply-rooted ideas of morality once shaped what women could or couldn’t wear, how they were judged for behaviour, and how film narratives reinforced such norms. She wrote that when she was young, many believed those moral codes were unchangeable; now she sees dramatic shifts suggesting that today’s generation reacts very differently to the same scenes.
Aman also pointed out how the industry itself has transformed. She highlighted that thanks to streaming platforms and changing audience expectations, stories are now more nuanced.
Still, she didn’t shy away from critiquing ongoing inequalities. Aman recalled that even in her prime when she was among the highest-paid female actors the wage gap between male and female stars was “laughable.” She suggested that while roles evolved, compensation equality hasn’t quite caught up yet.
For Aman, sharing the old clip is more than nostalgia: it’s a call to recognise how far (or little) society and cinema have progressed and a nudge to remain vigilant about lingering biases. As she put it, “the moral police may still exist, but the narrative has certainly progressed.”
