Zeenat Aman reveals getting 'stoned' during Dum Maaro Dum shoot

Zeenat Aman took a trip down memory lane and shared a still from her iconic song "Dum Maaro Dum" from the 1971 film Hare Rama Hare Krishna on Instagram. In the caption, she revealed that she was stoned for the most part of the song's shooting because Dev Anand wanted "authenticity" in the song.

“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!” wrote the veteran actress.

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!”

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Recalling how Dev Anand asked her to be authentic for the song, 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 also spoke about her mother's reaction to her getting high for the song. "I later found out that my mother was furious when she learned 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," she added.

"Dum Maaro Dum" is a cult song from the 70s that many still listen to and cherish. It was written by Anand Bakshi, composed by RD Burman, and sung by Asha Bhosle.

Next, Zeenat will feature in The Royals, which also stars Ishaan Khatter, Bhumi Pednekar, Sakshi Tanwar, Nora Fatehi, and Milind Soman.