Zeenat Aman recalls getting ‘stoned’ while shooting for Dum Maaro Dum: ‘My mother was furious’

Zeenat Aman often takes to Instagram to share anecdotes from her experiences on film sets, as well as interactions with other actors. The actor has now shared something that happened while she was shooting the iconic song Dum Maaro Dum in Kathmandu, saying her co-star Dev Anand wanted ‘authenticity’ in the song from 1971 film Hare Rama Hare Krishna. (Also read: Zeenat Aman owns the 'aunty' tag with pride; her Insta post makes Karan Johar embrace the ‘uncle’ label)

What Zeenat said

Zeenat shared a still from the song's shoot, and began her caption with, “We were in Kathmandu shooting Hare Rama Hare Krishna, and Dev Saab had rounded up a gaggle of hippies from the streets to be featured in the song. Which song? The picture is a dead giveaway - Dum Maro Dum of course!”

She added, “The hippy extras were delighted with their good fortune. They were not only getting to pack their chillums with hashish in beautiful Nepal, they were also getting free food, going to feature in a Bollywood movie and were being paid to boot!”

‘I was in no state to return’

Recalling how Dev Anand wanted authenticity, she said, “Now Dev Saab wanted authenticity in this sequence. My character, the drug addled Janice, had to really look stoned. And the easiest way to achieve this was to partake in the hippy offerings! So there I was, still in my teens, gamely taking long pulls from their chillum for take after take. By the time we wrapped the day’s work I was high as a kite! I was in no state to return to the hotel in that happy, dizzy and slightly formless haze. So some of the team members packed me into a car and took me on a drive to a beautiful vantage point. There in the cold mountain air, I contemplated the Himalayas and slowly, peacefully came down from my high.”

She went on to add how her mother reacted, “I later found out that my mother was furious when she learnt what happened, and gave the senior crew members a sharp tongue lashing for allowing her precious child to “do drugs”! Luckily, I was spared her wrath. Well, what can I say, it was the 70s, and I was something of a flower child.”

The song, Dum Maaro Dum, gained cult status in India in the early 70s. It was from the 1971 film, Hare Rama Hare Krishna, which was composed by RD Burman, written by Anand Bakshi and sung by Asha Bhosle.

Fans will see Zeenat next in The Royals, which also stars Ishaan Khatter, Bhumi Pednekar, Sakshi Tanwar, Nora Fatehi, Milind Soman. She also has Bun Tikki, which stars Shabana Azmi and Abhay Deol, in the pipeline.