Zeenat Aman recalls awkward moment of being mistaken for Parveen Babi

During an 'Ask Me Anything' session on 'Reddit', the veteran actor engaged with fans by answering a variety of questions, ranging from a role she could have portrayed, to film industry then and now

Mumbai: Veteran actor Zeenat Aman shared an interesting and somewhat ‘uncomfortable’ incident from her career when a fan confused her with the late legendary actor Parveen Babi.

During an AMA session on ‘Reddit’, the veteran actor engaged with fans by answering a variety of questions. One Reddit user asked, “As a kid, I would always get confused between yourself and Parveen Babi. Did you ever get confused in public by fans?”

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In her reply, the ‘Satyam Shivam Sundaram’ actor revealed that it was not uncommon for her to be mistaken for Parveen, but one particular moment in Dubai left her feeling uncomfortable. Zeenat wrote, “That was a very common mistake. Parveen was stunning, so I didn’t mind it either! There was one very awkward moment in Dubai when a woman went absolutely gaga over me thinking I’m Parveen, but this was after her passing! It was so uncomfortable, and I was the one to have to break it to that dejected fan that her favourite actor is no more.”

When a fan asked if there was any recent role she felt she could have portrayed, Zeenat revealed that she “would have loved to play a character that was actually portrayed by Priyanka Chopra“.

A Reddit user asked Zeenat, “Hello, Ma’am! My question is, ‘While watching the recent Bollywood films, have you ever felt that I would have nailed this role in my time?” The ‘Don’ actor responded, “I don’t know whether I would have nailed it, but I would have loved the chance to play Priyanka Chopra’s character in ‘Bajirao Mastani‘. It was a complex role that piqued my interest.”

Another fan asked the ‘Dostana’ actor about the differences between the industry then and now. Zeenat offered a candid response, recalling how it wasn’t uncommon for her to be the only woman on set.

“I know people like to criticise the Hindi film industry, and much of it is valid. But I think a major and positive improvement I see is that there are women at every rung of the process pulling their weight and claiming their place with competence. In my time, it wasn’t unusual to be the only woman on set! So this is a striking difference to me,” wrote Zeenat.

Meanwhile, Zeenat was last seen in ‘Bun Tikki’ with Shabana Azmi. Helmed by Faraz Arif Ansari, the movie had its world premiere at the Palm Springs Festival 2025.