Zeenat Aman did not mince her words in her latest Instagram post, as she called out shady proposals and barrage of collaboration requests from brands. The veteran actor, without taking any names, shared how she was shocked at the ‘impudence’ of a multimillion dollar brands who expected her endorsement in exchange of a low fee.

What Zeenat wrote

Zeenat shared a bunch of pictures from a recent photoshoot and wrote a lengthy caption along with it. She began: “Thank you, but no thank you. I can’t tell you my precise worth, but I do know when I’m being undervalued. Amidst the barrage of collaboration and appearance requests that materialise in my inbox each day, there are some that stand out for unpleasant reasons. Last minute invitations that the organiser forgot to edit (and which are addressed to another celebrity who must have declined) are mildly insulting. Impolite emails with minimal details and brusque “share commercials” are infuriating. And shady proposals to post stories or comments without the paid partnership tag are distasteful.”

She went on to highlight a particular case in these requests, and said: “Yet none of these compare to the impudence of multimillion dollar brands that expect my endorsement in exchange for “brand association” and a ludicrously low fee. Such luxury brands pay an eye watering penny to their ambassadors (one of whom beautifully reprised a role I originally played), and sell even their most basic item for multiple lakhs of rupees. In their outreach to me they do not fail to express their admiration, with generous terms such as “icon” and “fashion inspiration”. But when it comes to actually compensating me for my time, energy, reputation and reach… the well runs dry.”

‘I have held my own in this industry for over half a century’

Zeenat concluded by saying, “I am over 70 years old, and I have held my own in this industry for over half a century. I work with what I know to be an unusual professionalism. I have a social media audience that is not only entirely organic, but so beautifully engaged. I have immense respect for myself, and for you who follow my page. I am certainly worth more than the price of a designer handbag or high-heel shoe.”

The post was shared on a Reddit page, where users wondered which actor Zeenat was talking about. Since Zeenat mentioned that one of the actors ‘beautifully reprised’ a role of hers, many echoed that the actor must be Priyanka Chopra. A comment read: “Looks like - PC did reprise her role in Don.” A second user commented, “It sounds like Priyanka Chopra.” Priyanka is the brand ambassador of Bulgari.

Zeenat will be seen next in the film Bun Tikki, starring Shabana Azmi and Abhay Deol. The team recently held a wrap up party.