• Source:JND
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The Nepal Gen Z protest has created havoc in the country, led to public outrage and most importantly resignation of KP Sharma Oli. Amid the difficult political scenerio in Nepal, let’s shed light upon the most beautiful bond that resits between the country and Bollywood. Talking about one such example is veteran actress Zeenat Aman’s 1971 classic movie, Hare Rama Hare Krishna. The movie was shot entirely on the beautiful landscape of Nepal and after the film became a blockbuster. It became a favourite spot of Indian filmmakers to shoot scenic scenes.

Hare Rama Hare Krishna was filmed in Kathmandu, Nepal with actors like Zeenat Aman, Dev Anand, Mumtaz and Prem Chopra. The film depicted the story of a brother who is on a search to find his sister. Later, he find his sister in Nepal who lives with hippies and is in a zone of intoxication. The brother brings her sister back home and tries the situation to be normal. The story of the film had touched the hearts of the audience and became a cult classic forever. At the time of release in 1971, the movie earned Rs 1.70 crore, which was considered to be a big hit during those time.

Despite getting love from the audience, the film also received backlash for one reason. The controversial part was Dum Maaro Dum song, in which Zeenat Aman was seen smoking a ‘chillum’ with hippies. It didn’t go well with many viewers, which attracted heavy criticism. Not only that Zeenat also confirmed in an interview that she actually smoked ‘chillum’ and then shot this song. Her outfit, the intoxication and lyrics of song caught a negative limelight at that time.

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She also shared the story behind the song in an Instagram post, “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! 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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“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 gormless 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. I later found out that my mother was furious when she learnt 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.”