Confession Time: Yeah yeah I know its confession time! I
have been MIA for a lot many days now and all I've been doing during this time
was work and sleep. Seriously hate the time when work overtakes everything in
your life! To make things worse, I can feel my tonsil glands playing havoc.
This is making me wonder how come I’m struck with such bad cold when everyone’s
complaining about the heat!
Continuing with the Celebrating Indian Women Series, let’s see which Indian diva we talk about today!
Today I’ll be talking about an actress (do I need to say she
is extremely beautiful?) who charmed everyone with her ohhh sooo lovely
dimples! And wooed every young man with her pairing and wonderful performances
in some of the best romantic movies in the late 60s and the whole of 70s. Ah
you got it! Yes she is none other than the charming and very elegant Sharmila
Tagore.
And before I begin, let me tell you that I’m a HUUUGE
Sharmila Tagore fan. [So don’t blame me if I seem biased. (wink wink) ]
Sharmila Tagore:
Tagore, the name’s Sharmila Tagore. Yes she is related to
the notable Bengali poet and playwright Guru Rabindra Nath Tagore. She is his
great grand niece and her grandfather G. N Tagore was a notable painter of
Bengal.
Tidbits: She is related
to the Tagore family from both her paternal and maternal families. Born 5 years
after Tagore’s death, Sharmila received formal (school) education in those
times, which was not common.
She is perhaps among those few women during her times, to
have chosen acting as her profession
and not just to earn her livelihood. She became an actress because she wanted
to, not because she had to. She began her film career at the tender age of 14.
Memorable for: We all know what she is memorable for! She is
memorable for 2 distinct things—her famous bikini scene in An Evening in Paris (AEIP)
(totally unimaginable during those days!) and her successful pairing with
Rajesh Khanna that catapulted both of them to stardom and, ushered in the wave
of romanticism in Bollywood.
Here I would like add one more point—I loved her in a scene in
her debut film Apur Sansar (Apu’s World, a Bengali film directed by Satyajit
Ray) where only her eyes are visible through a hole in a torn curtain.
And, you must
have read a lot about Kajol breaking the jinx –of married women can be
successful heroines. But this jinx was originally broken by Sharmila Tagore. In
fact, she landed the best roles of her career, after she became a mother.
What I like about her? I told you already that I’m her fan!
So I like everything about her, her expressive eyes, her acting abilities, her
screen presence and lastly her dimply smile. According to me she embodies the
ideal Indian woman both in terms of her beauty and her achievements. And her
perfect pair with her husband the late Tiger. For me they are the FIRST COUPLE
of Indian Cricket.
Also I feel she is one of those rare breed of actresses who exceled
in all type of roles, starting from a beautiful belle (in Kashmir ki
Kali/Araadhna) to a prostitute woman who longs for her foster son (in Amar
Prem). Her body of work speaks volumes about her talent and acting prowess.
As my dad opines:
‘… when she cries onscreen, her crying seems most authentic out of all
the Bollywood actresses of her time.’
She comes across as a very assured person, and knows what’s
right for her. This is what she shared in an interview:
‘Once Saif was born, I started
doing fewer films. I think it's important to be a hands-on mother. It is worth
putting your work on hold for a few months. To keep awake and change their
nappies.' Here's what she has to say to young mothers: 'You'll get to know your
child well and begin to understand his or her temperament in those very first few
months of their lives.' As a young working mother, Sharmila began to edit out
all that was not strictly necessary from her life. 'If you sincerely want to do
something you find the time for it,' she says. Though she continued to act in
films - Amar Prem after Saif was born; Griha Pravesh after Saba's birth; and
New Delhi Times after Soha came along - it was on her own terms. She stopped
attending premiers and after-shoot parties, gave no interviews, and became even
more fastidious about the films she signed. 'I realised a few films less, a few
lakhs less, simply didn't matter.'
I also admire her for her penchant of breaking the norms and
being rebellious. Here are two examples: Shakti Samanta was in for a shock when
he learnt that his female lead wanted to wear a bikini in a song in AEIP. He
cajoled and requested her many times, not to do so, as he felt this would not
go down well with the audience. But she refused and threatened to walk out, if
she was not allowed.
In Anupama, she sported the stylish bouffant despite
Hrishikesh Mukherjee advising her against it.
One more (yeah this is the last one) remarkable thing about
her is her sense of style. She is extremely stylish and you can see how it has
evolved over the years. She dresses her age and manages to catch attention
instantly and charms one and all. In her late 60s now, though she sticks to
sarees mostly, yet she manages to look extremely stylish. I wonder how one can
manage that!
Other Achievements: Until recently, she was the chief of the
Censor Board (CBFC) and played an important role in keeping films away from
political pressure. In several of her interviews, she did clarify that the Censor
Board should be separate and should not bow to the whims and fancies of the
ministers and the government.
Critics Say: Sharmila received flak for her portrayals of
the conventional flimsy Bollywood heroine and was termed a dumb bimbo (audacious hun!!) . But all that changed with films like
Araadhna, Amar Prem, Mausam etc. She was also at the centre of a huge
controversy for entering films, and wearing a bikini. She could not continue
studies because her teachers told her she was a bad influence on other girls.
When she wore a bikini in AEIP, she was only supported by
her husband the late Tiger.
Trivia: Before attending Sharmila’s wedding, Satyajit Ray
and his family were in a dilemma about what to gift her. They did not know what
would be a good gift to the to-be-Begum of Pataudi. Suddenly Ray had a brilliant
idea—'Can't
we give her a 16 mm print of Apur Sansar? She clearly has no dearth of saris
and jewellery; this would certainly make for a unique gift!' That was
her wedding gift from her first director!
What do you think Ladies? Isnt she a gorgeous diva and a super woman in her own right.
