When Dev Anand was heartbroken after Zeenat Aman chose Raj Kapoor over him: ‘My heart was bleeding’

Dev Anand is remembered as one of the first superstars of Hindi cinema and as the decades went on, the actor came to be known as the man who gave the Hindi film industry some of its most promising talents. And one such talent that he introduced with his 1971 film Hare Rama Hare Krishna was actor Zeenat Aman. Here, Zeenat played his on-screen ser Janice and the story of the siblings instantly put Zeenat on the map and for Dev, he was fascinated with her “devil-may-care attitude”.
In his autobiography titled Romancing With Life, Dev recalled that when he met Zeenat for the first time at a party, he was convinced that she was his Janice. “Zeenat and I started being linked with each other in the magazines and newspapers that people hungry for gossip love to read. Whenever and wherever she was talked about glowingly, I loved it; and whenever and wherever I was discussed in the same vein, she was jubilant. In the subconscious, we had become emotionally attached to each other,” he wrote.
This wasn’t the first time that Dev had fallen in love with one of his heroines but in this case, he was particularly bothered with Raj Kapoor being the third wheel in this relationship. Zeenat and Dev worked together in another one of his films, the 1974 film Ishk Ishk Ishk, and it was after the premiere of this film that Dev was “jealous” of Raj Kapoor. He recalled in his memoir, “After the premiere of Ishk Ishk Ishk at Metro cinema, Raj Kapoor kissed Zeenat in full view of the invited audience, congratulating her for her sparkling performance in the film. That must have made her evening all the more sparkling. Yet, I was jealous of him for making advances on what I considered my sole possession, my discovery, my leading lady, and desiring her with a kiss.”
Zeenat Aman and Dev Anand in Hare Rama Hare Krishna. (Photo: Express Archives)
The Baazi actor recalled in his book that as time went on, he realised he was “desperately in love with Zeenat” and wanted to express his feeling towards her. He had a special nickname for her ‘Zeenie’ and wanted to ask her out on a date so he could profess his love, but once again, Raj Kapoor entered the picture. “Time moved on. Suddenly, one day, I felt I was desperately in love with Zeenat—and wanted to say so to her! To make an honest confession, at a very special, exclusive place meant for romance. I chose the Rendezvous at the Taj, on the top of the city, where we had dined together once earlier,” he wrote.
That night, Dev and Zeenat were supposed to go to a party together, and it was decided that they will make an appearance at the gathering and then leave for their date, but things took a turn as they reached the party. Dev recalled, “The first person who greeted Zeenat from a dance was a drunken Raj Kapoor, with a gallant drawl, ‘There she is!’ He threw his arms around her exuberantly. This suddenly struck me as a little too familiar. And the way she reciprocated his embrace seemed much more than just polite and courteous.”

Dev shared in the book that it was around this time that he had heard rumours of Zeenat being cast in RK’s next film Satyam Shivam Sundaram. “My heart was bleeding,” wrote Dev. He continued, “Zeenat was not the same Zeenat for me anymore.” The CID actor wrote that his “heart broke into a million pieces” and he wanted to leave the party immediately.
When Dev asked Zeenat how long she intended to stay at the party, she looked at Raj, who asked him to let her stay, and encouraged him to stay as well. When Zeenat asked about the other place they were supposed to visit after the party, Dev brushed it under the carpet. “The rendezvous had already lost all meaning in my mind,” he wrote.
Zeenat Aman and Dev Anand worked together in a few films in the 1970s. (Photo: Express Archives)
“The evening delivered a blow to my personality, and my dominating spirit. I had decided on the spur of the moment to tell Zeenat for the first time how much I loved her. And that there was an idea in my mind of another story that would put her on a pedestal as never before, the highest so far. But that was never to be,” he wrote.
“I quickly detached myself, convincing myself that I had blundered, taking too many things for granted. There was no need for me to let any rancour germinate in my mind against Zeenat. I had prepared her for the world, and she was free to go into the arms of anyone who would help her further her ambitious dreams,” he concluded.