In a recent social media post, Zeenat Aman called out a brand for not realising her worth and paying her way less than a junior actress. Fans claim that she is talking about Priyanka Chopra.

Zeenat Aman was one of the leading actresses in the Hindi film industry in the 1970s and 1980s. With her style, grace, and versatile acting spree, the actress earned a huge fan following. Zeenat was way ahead of her contemporaries as she westernised roles in Indian cinema, but she often received backlash for her approach to life. The actress made her Instagram debut in February 2023, and since then, she has been interacting with her fans and followers on a regular basis.

Zeenat Aman calls out brands for mistreating her

Zeenat Aman took to her IG handle on July 23, 2024, and shared a series of pictures from her recent photoshoot. Dressed in an elegant red outfit, the veteran actress looked gorgeous as ever. Zeenat accessorised her look with a pair of cool sunglasses. However, it was her lengthy caption, along with the pictures, that grabbed everyone’s attention. The diva penned:

“Thank you, but no thank you. I can’t tell you my precise worth, but I do know when I’m being undervalued. Amidst the barrage of collaboration and appearance requests that materialise in my inbox each day, there are some that stand out for unpleasant reasons.”

Speaking along the same lines, Zeenat mentioned how the last-minute unedited invitations are mildly insulting to her. She added that impolite emails with minimal details and the shady proposals to post stories without the paid partnership tag are distasteful. She went on to add that a high-end brand offered to pay her a ludicrously low fee while the brand ambassador, an actress who reprised a role she originally played, was getting a huge amount. In her words:

“Yet none of these compare to the impudence of multimillion dollar brands that expect my endorsement in exchange for brand association and a ludicrously low fee. Such luxury brands pay an eye watering penny to their ambassadors (one of whom beautifully reprised a role I originally played), and sell even their most basic item for multiple lakhs of rupees. In their outreach to me they do not fail to express their admiration, with generous terms such as icon and fashion inspiration. But when it comes to actually compensating me for my time, energy, reputation and reach… the well runs dry.”

Further in her note, Zeenat concluded by saying that she is over 70 years old and has been in the film industry for more than 50 years. She revealed that her social media audience is entirely organic and beautifully engaged and that she respects all her followers. Highlighting her value, Zeenat shared that her worth is more than the price of a designer handbag or high-heel shoe and penned:

“I am over 70 years old, and I have held my own in this industry for over half a century. I work with what I know to be an unusual professionalism. I have a social media audience that is not only entirely organic, but so beautifully engaged. I have immense respect for myself, and for you who follow my page. I am certainly worth more than the price of a designer handbag or high-heel shoe.”

Netizens claim Zeenat Aman was shading Bulgari

Though Zeenat Aman shared the post without mentioning anyone’s name, netizens were quick to join the dots. A social media user dropped the post on Reddit, and netizens started wondering which actor Zeenat was talking about. Since Zeenat mentioned that one of the brand ambassadors of the brand is an actor, who beautifully reprised her role in a film, many quipped that she must be Priyanka Chopra. For the unversed, Priyanka is Bulgari’s brand ambassador. A user penned, “Looks like – PC did reprise her role in Don.” Another commented, “It sounds like Priyanka Chopra.”

What are your views on Zeenat Aman’s recent social media post?