Zeenat Aman’s fiery photoshoot after 1979 Taj Incident resurfaces as photographer recalls her posing like a tigress despite a damaged eye

Celebrated photographer Jayesh Sheth has recalled Zeenat Aman’s resilience following the infamous 1979 Taj incident, in which the actor suffered an eye injury after an alleged assault by Sanjay Khan.

At the time, Zeenat was one of Hindi cinema’s most glamorous stars, while Sanjay, married to Zarine Khan, was rumoured to be in a relationship with his Abdullah co-star.

Speaking on The Pooja Bhatt Show, Jayesh recounted his early professional interactions with the duo during the shoot of the song Maine Poochha Chand Se at RK Studios. He revealed that Sanjay posed comfortably for the camera, while Zeenat was hesitant. “She said, ‘Please don’t publish these pictures, these are personal.’ I said, ‘Zeenat ji please, these pictures are so fabulous. I request if I can please publish’. She said, ‘Publish 1-2 pictures but I will select which ones,’” he recalled. The photos were well received, marking the beginning of a friendship between the two.

But what stayed etched in his memory, Jayesh said, was a photoshoot that took place after the “incident at Taj,” during which Zeenat’s eye was “damaged.” He narrated, “When she recovered, we organised a shoot with that little swelling and her damaged eye. I can’t forget that shoot because she was like a tigress. Her hair was open, she was lit from the back and she was giving pose after pose in vengeance. Killer shots.”