The original ‘dirty’ picture
Upon its release, Satyam Shivam Sundaram faced an ironic fate. Despite his problematic inspiration, Kapoor did make a movie about “inner beauty”, urging his hero (played by Shashi Kapoor) to look past both Rupa’s scars and the sensuous figure she cut. For all the titillation she offered the audience, Rupa was also a multifaceted woman, both sexy and innocent; compassionate and self-loathing; devotional and full of desire. On one hand, she’s modest while on the other, she lusts after her man, escaping into fantasies that are reminiscent of Rani Mukerji’s Aiyyaa (2012). Unfortunately, Aman’s electric sensuality, along with a scene that features the passionate jostling of limbs under a waterfall, left audiences in a tizzy and Satyam Shivam Sundaram was charged with obscenity. Actor Dev Anand – a frequent collaborator of Aman’s and who would later in his autobiography admit to being in love with her – called the film “dirty”. Kapoor later defended his film saying, “If a Fellini shows a woman in the nude, it is considered art. If I show off a woman’s beauty, it’s called exploitation!”
Four weeks ago, Aman posted a throwback picture of herself on the sets of Satyam Shivam Sundaram on Instagram. Drenched in sepia, Aman’s chiselled, confident and younger self is a reminder of why she ruled hearts in the Seventies and Eighties and why her work deserves to be valued. In the post, the star calls herself “a director’s actor” and comments on the accusations of obscenity that the film faced in 1978: “I was always quite amused by the accusations of obscenity as I did not and do not find anything obscene about the human body. … Rupa’s sensuality was not the crux of the plot, but a part of it.” Not only did Aman pull focus towards the intent of the film, she also won Gen Z hearts for her assertive stance on body positivity – a movement mired in polarising opinions on social media.