Skip to main content

Replies sorted oldest to newest

Vyjayanthimala Bali (Tamil: āŪĩāŊˆāŪœāŊ†āŪŊāŪĻāŊāŪĪāŪŋāŪŪāŪūāŪēāŪū āŪŠāŪūāŪēāŪŋ; born on August 13, 1936) is an Indian film actress, Bharathanatyam dancer, carnatic singer, dance choreographer, golfer and a Parliamentarian.

Vyjayanthimala was one the biggest Bollywood stars in a career lasting almost two decades.

 

She was also the first South Indian actress to become a national star and "paved way" for the other South Indian actresses such as Waheeda Rehman, Hema Malini, Rekha, Sridevi, Jaya Prada, Meenakshi Seshadri, Aishwarya Rai, Vidya Balan and Asin to foray into Bollywood.

 

Vyjayanthimala is also an accomplished dancer and was one of those who introduced semi-classical dance to Bollywood. Her subsequent dance numbers in her films had earned her the title of "twinkle toes".

 

She was also referred as one of the first female Superstars of Hindi cinema and was known as "Numero Uno actress" along with Hema Malini, Sridevi and Madhuri Dixit for her "illustrious career in 1950s and 1960s".

Born in an orthodox Tamil Brahmin family, Vyjayanthimala made her screen debut at the age of 13 through the Tamil film Vazhkai (1949) and acted in the Bollywood films Bahar and Ladki. Following the success of Nagin, Vyjayanthimala established herself as a one of the Bollywood's leading actress and a successful actress of Tamil descent.

She left the industry after shooting for the historical Hindi film Amrapali which was based on life of the Nagarvadhu (royal courtesan) of Vaishali, Amrapali, though director Baldev Raj Chopra felt that she could have easily continued for another decade in lead roles.

Besides film, Vyjayanthimala's main concentration was in Bharata Natyam a form of Indian classical dance. After quitting movies Vyjayanthimala Bali continued with her dance career. In addition, Vyjayanthimala was conferred with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the highest Indian recognition given to practicing artists. The award was presented to Vyjayanthimala in 1982 for her contribution in Bharata Natyam field. Moreover, Vyjayanthimala is also an avid golfer where she is one of the oldest golfer in Chennai.

She costarred with Dev Anand in Jewel Thief, with Rajendra Kumar in Suraj, with Shammi Kapoor in Prince, and with Kishore Kumar in his inane yet zany comedies,including the blockbuster New Delhi. Vyjayanthimala's Tamil movies included Vanjikottai Valiban, Irumbuthirai, Then Nilavu, Vaazhkai, Penn, Parthiban Kanavu (old), and Baghdad Thirudan.............

Vyjayanthimala married Dr. Chamanlal Bali. After marriage, she terminated her acting career and moved to Chennai. She has a son, Suchindra Bali, by Dr. Bali.

 

After she moved to Chennai, she entered politics as a member of the Lok Sabha (lower house). Later, she was nominated as a member of the Rajya Sabha (upper house). In 2007, she published her autobiography, titled "Bonding", with Jyoti Sabarwal as co-writer.

National & international honors;

â€Ē 1956 - Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award, for a role in Devdas. Vyjayanthimala did not accept the award, her contention being that her role in that movie was that of the main actress rather than a supporting actress. (That was the first time a person had declined to receive a Filmfare Award.)
â€Ē 1958 - Filmfare Best Actress Award, for a role in Madhumati
â€Ē 1958 - Nomination for Filmfare Best Actress Award, for a role in Sadhna
â€Ē 1961 - Filmfare Best Actress Award, for a role in Ganga Jamuna
â€Ē 1961 - BFJA Award for Best Actress for her role in Ganga Jamuna
â€Ē 1964 - Filmfare Best Actress Award, for a role in Sangam
â€Ē 1968 - Padma Shri Award from Government of India.
â€Ē 1982 - Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, 1982 for Bharatanatyam
â€Ē 1996 - Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award
â€Ē 2004 - "Legend of Indian Cinema" Award at Atlantic City (United States)
â€Ē 2005 - Lifetime Achievement Award at the Bollywood Movie Awards
â€Ē 2006 - Sivaji Award 2006
2007 - 2007 - Ambassador for Peace Award from Universal Peace Federation
â€Ē 2009 - ANR National Award. 2011 - Honored by the Government of France for visiting France during the filming of Sangam...........

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vyjayantimala

FM

 

Vyjayanthimala
 
Date of Birth - 13 August, 1936

Place of Birth - Chennai, Tamil Nade, India

Height -5' 3" (1.60 m)

 

Mini Biography

 

Vyjanthimala was born in a Tamil-speaking family in Chennai, India, on August 13, 1936.

At the age of 4, she got the rare chance of performing a dance before the Pope.

 

Then at the age of 15, while in her final year at school, she was signed-up by family friend, M.V. Raman, for a role in a Tamil film 'Vazhkai'. This movie was successful at the box office and was re-made in Hindi during 1951 and released as 'Bahaar'.

Since her entry into films from 1949, this actress, who is also proficient in Bharat Natyam, has appeared in approximately 62 movies, the majority of them in the Hindi language. Her career spanned from 1949 through to 1989. She has received a total of five awards for her performances in 'Devdas', 'Sadhna', 'Ganga Jamuna', and 'Sangam', as well as a lifetime achievement award during 1995.

Her dance numbers, such as 'Hothon Pe Aisi Baat Main Dabake Chali Aai...', 'Man Doley Mera Tan Doley...'; 'Chad Gaiyo Paapi Bichua...'; 'Main Ka Karu Ram Mujhey Buddha Mil Gaya' continue to be popular even today. She made waves when she appeared in a bikini in 'Sangam'. She also paved the way for other South Indian actresses, like Hema Malini, Rekha, Sridevi, etc. to make a transition to Bollywood. Her career was managed by her grandmother, Yadugiri Devi.

She married Raj Kapoor's personal physician, Dr. Chamanlal Bali after he divorced his first wife and re-located to Chennai, where she gave birth to a son, Suchindra.

After quitting films, Vyjantimala took up shrimp farming, opened up a dance academy, even took an active interest in politics, and with the backing of Indira Gandhi's Congress Party was elected Member of Parliament during the 1980s. She chose to quit politics due to principled differences during 1999.

After the passing of her husband, she now resides in Chennai, with her son, who is an aspiring actor in his own right, and has removed herself completely from Bollywood, in particular, and movies in general, though she could have easily continued on for another decade.

One of her hits 'Naya Daur', originally in Black & White, has now been colorized, and re-released.

In 2007, she published her autobiography titled "Bonding," where she revealed that she didn't have an affair with Raj Kapoor, her leading man and director from "Sangam" (1964).

 

Trivia

 

Vyjayanthimala won the Best Actress Filmfare Award three times, for her roles in _Sadhana (1958)_, Gunga Jumna (1961), and Sangam (1964/I). She also helped pave the way for more agile and beauteous South Indian actresses, from Hema Malini to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, to conquer the Hindi film industry.

 

Was known as one of Bollywood's finest dancers of her time. Vyjayanthimala, trained in Bharatanatyam dance, performed some super-hit song and dance numbers in Hindi films, and her influence on films has been far-reaching: with her, semi-classical dance became an integral part of almost every Hindi film heroine's credentials.

 

Was launched by M.V. Raman, a family friend, in AVM's Tamil film, Vazhkai (1949). The film was such a huge hit that it continued its success when remade in Hindi as Bahar (1951), also starring Vyjayanthimala.

 

Once refused the Best Supporting Actress Filmfare Award, as she felt that her role as 'Chandramukhi' in Devdas (1955) was not a supporting one; the strong-headed actress felt she was as much the heroine of the film as Suchitra Sen, who played 'Paro'.

 

Formed a popular on-screen pair with both the intense Dilip Kumar in films like Devdas, and the jocular Kishore Kumar in hits like New Delhi (1956) and Aasha (1957).

 

Fell in love with Raj Kapoor's personal physician, Dr. Bali, who treated her for pneumonia after she fell into the lake while shooting for a film. The two grew close and later married and had a child, Suchindra Bali. Vyjayanthimala subsequently decided to leave films while still at the top, and immersed herself in raising her son.

 

Joined politics for a while, and was close to Indira Gandhi. Vyjayanthimala was elected twice to the Lok Sabha (Indian Parliament's House of the People) and was a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha (Indian Parliament's Council of States). She resigned in 1999, however, as she thought the party was drifting from its avowed principles after the death of Rajiv Gandhi.

 

Honored with the Sangeet Natak Akademi award by the National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama, and the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement award for her distinguished contribution to Indian cinema.

 

An excellent golf player, Vyjayanthimala was introduced to the game by her husband. She has even played in the National Golf Championship (15 Handicap).

Turned down the mother's role in _Deewaar, which later went to Nirupa Roy.

Personal Quotes

 

Art has now become less spiritual because of the attempts to modernize it. I don't believe in fusion. East is East and West is West. I plan to continue dancing and doing social service.

 

I believe in the purity of art. I think you have to be pure at heart to depict divinity.

I am basically an emotional person. Otherwise, I wouldn't be an artiste. I always speak from my heart and that's the way I like to be.

 

Where Are They Now

 

(2003) Currently lives in Chennai, and rarely comes to Mumbai.

 

(2004) She has distanced herself from Bollywood, and Mumbai in general. Continues to play an active role in politics.

FM

3. Vijayanthimala

 

The first dancing Queen.


Her beauty was very much Indian and very much touching. Like Waheeda Rehman she had a certain vulnerability in her face. Her beauty shone the most when she was dancing.


All the joy and pure happiness reflected in her eyes as soon as she could give in to the music, and it gave her face an enchanting glow.


Her expressions were flawless, her dark eyes and hair, pretty much like in the case of Deepika, made her seem almost an illusion from a dream.

 

Source

10 most beautiful women of Bollywood ever!

FM
Indian musical gems to be honoured with Tagore Akademi Ratna
  

RnM Team

24 Apr 12 19:00 IST

 

NEW DELHI: Music maestro Vanraj Bhatia, best known for composing music for most of Shyam Benegal's films will be honoured with Tagore Akademi Ratna award by the Sangeet Natak Akademi. He has earlier been the recipient of National Film award and Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.

 

Twenty nine eminent personalities and scholars will be conferred with Sangeet Natak Akademi Tagore Fellowships and thirty four art practitioners and gurus in the field of music dance and drama will receive the Sangeet Natak Akademi Tagore Award.

 

West Bengal governor M K Narayanan will honour the recipients at a special ceremony to be hosted on 25 April in Kolkata.

 

Of the 100 honours, 50 are Fellows with purse money of Rs. 300,000, a Tamrapatra and an Angavastram and the remaining 50 are awards with purse money of Rs. 100,000, a Tamrapatra and an Angavastram.

 

Other noted personalities from the world of cinema who are being honoured with the Akademi Ratna include filmmaker Buddhadeb Das Gupta, danseuse and former actress Ms Vyjayanthimala Bali and actor MK Saroja. In addition, Ad Guru Alyque Padamsee, theatre personality Satya Dev Dubey, musicians Zia Fariduddin Dagar, Sabri Khan, MS Gopalakrishnan, dance exponent Mayadhar Raut, and Amala Shankar also figure in the list of Akademi Ratna.

 

Those getting the Tagore Akademi Puraskar include 13 in the field of music, eleven in dance, eight in theatre of which one is joint to Gopala Sharman and Jalabala Vaidya, and thirteen for traditional/folk/tribal/dance/music/theatre and puppetry.  In addition, five persons have been awarded for overall contribution/scholarship in performing arts: M L Varadpande, B M Sundaram, Ramchandra Chintaman Dhere, Raja Mrigendra Singh, and Nilamadhab Panigrahi.

 

The full list of awardees is:  TAGORE AKADEMI RATNA  1. SATGURU JAGJIT SINGH NAMDHARI  2. B. RAJANIKANTA RAO  3. P V KRISHNAMOORTHY  4. LAXMI NARAYAN GARG  5. B N GOSWAMY  6. BIRENDRANATH DATTA  7. M NAGABHUSHANA SARMA  8. PRABHA ATRE  9. LAXMAN KRISHNARAO PANDIT  10. ZIA FARIDUDDIN DAGAR  11. GHULAM MUSTAFA WARIS KHAN  12. ABDUL HALIM JAFFER KHAN  13. RAM NARAYAN  14. SABRI KHAN  15. BUDDHADEV DAS GUPTA  16. SRIPADA PINAKAPANI  17. R.K. SRIKANTAN  18. NEDUNURI KRISHNA MURTHY  19. M.S. GOPALAKRISHNAN  20. NATESAN RAMANI  21. VELLORE G. RAMABHADRAN  22. GURUVAYUR DORAI  23. VANRAJ BHATIA  24. VYJAYANTIMALA BALI  25. KALANIDHI NARAYANAN  26. M K SAROJA  27. KUMUDINI LAKHIA  28. MANKOMPU SIVASANKARA PILLAI  29. MAYADHAR RAUT  30. PASUMARTHY VENUGOPALA KRISHNA SARMA  31. MAYA RAO  32. AMALA SHANKAR

 

Source

FM

Young & Vivacious Vyjayanthimala

 

'Main kya karu ram, Mujhe buddah mil gayaâ€Ķ!!' This mesmerising song from the 1964 hit Bollywood flick 'Sangam' is still hummed by many. The songs of today can rarely be hummed for long and the youth seem to be confused, while the business of politics is not taken seriously by the 'role models,' believes yester-year's outspoken and vivacious dancing heroine Vyjayanthimala.

 

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:46:30 GMT

Source

 

 

"It's right that I was known as a dancing heroine and was the first from South India to star in Bollywood films. I had fans in the Middle East too, especially for my dance.

 

However, there has been a sea change in the trends since then", says Vyjayanthimala.

 

She adds, "There were dancers after us, Hema (Malini), Rekha, Sridevi and now Vidya (Balan). However, today it's more to do with fusion and western influence. During our time, we had our barefoot works, postures and poses and there was classicism in folk dances. We have done our share of western dances too, but there was a line drawn and we never went overboard."

 

Classifying 'Sangam' as a classic romantic flick, Vyjayanthimala feels realism is missing from films today. "The characters then were easily identifiable with people but today there are a lot of gimmicks. I agree that with advanced technology, it is easier to edit and change things. But in our times, we had to re-do the whole sequence if anything went wrong during shooting. We had more concentration and punctuality to go through all of this," she exclaims.

 

Speaking about her political stint during two terms from Chennai in the Lok Sabha, she said that her upbringing had a lot to do with sincerity, concentration and taking one thing at a time. "There is nothing wrong if role models take up politics but how you work at it and how much work you put in for your constituency is important. Even today, when I visit my constituency, I am addressed as 'MP-Amma'. I nourished my constituency in whatever little manner I could and they remember me for that."

 

She also believes that parents today do not inculcate roots of Indian tradition into youth. "The young have become sharp and can easily understand and grasp things, and hence I believe that while they follow some western cultures, Indian roots must not be forgotten. One should not neglect or avoid our roots. If they can argue and question, they must also understand and love our culture and not merely ape the West", she concludes.

FM

Dancing with the Dreamgirls

 

| May 28, 2012

dancing_with_the_dreamgirls_postnoon_news

Item numbers have become an indelible part of Indian cinema and some of the item girls in the past had even overshadowed the lead actors of their era in terms of popularity among the masses. Postnoon traces the journey so far.

 

Desire is one of the most profound effects of films. From Vyjayanthimala to Mallika Sherawat, there have been umpteen actresses in the past who managed to become every man’s dream girl. To cash in on their popularity, filmmakers often included ‘item numbers’ in the film. Most of the times, these item numbers had no connection with the main story but that hardly seemed to matter to millions of moviegoers who couldn’t have enough of the divas gyrating to scintillating music.

 

The history of item songs dates back to early 50s, when the likes of Cuckoo, Vyjayanthimala and Padmini became a sensation in both Hindi and Tamil cinema with their dance recitals in films like Nagin, Devdas, Vanjikottai Valiban and Raj Tilak. The sleaze factor, which is often associated with item songs, hadn’t permeated into popular culture until the late 60s. In 1958, one of the songs in Sakthi Samanta’s Howrah Bridge, Mera Naam Chin Chin Chu became extremely popular and Helen, who performed in the song, became a big star overnight. For the next two decades, she was the most popular item girl in Hindi cinema and she went on to play noteworthy supporting roles in quite a few films. The popularity of cabarets in mid 20th century had had a huge influence on item numbers. No wonder, most of the songs featuring the likes of Helen and later Jayamalini, Jyothi Lakshmi and Silk Smitha were set in a cabaret and they often featured the hero and the villains enjoying the performance of the dancer. By the early 80s, the item numbers had become so popular in Telugu and Tamil, that distributors demanded the producers and directors to feature Jayamalini and Silk Smitha in an item number.

 

Item girls were often dressed to kill and their ability to provide an outlet to repressed sexuality made them an indelible part of cinema in the 80s. Silk Smitha had become an icon and some of her songs like Pon meni Uruguthey in Balu Mahendra’s Moondram Pirai and Nethu rathiri yamma in SP Muthuraman’s Sakalakala Vallavan are popular to this day. Meanwhile, lead actresses in Hindi like Madhuri Dixit, Zeenat Aman and Parveen Babi had begun dancing in special songs in their respective films which made the concept of featuring item girls like Helen, Aruna Irani and others redundant. The enormous popularity of songs like Ek Do Theen from Tezaab, Choli Ke Peechey Kya Hai, Dhak Dhak and Dum Maro Dum from Hare Rama Hare Krishna is proof enough of this trend. Actresses like Tabu, Raveena Tandon, Shilpa Shetty, Ramya Krishna and even Sushmita Sen and Aishwarya Rai did item numbers at several stages of their career.

 

In the early part of the 21st century, the item songs were back in vogue thanks to the rise of item girls like Malaika Arora, Rakhi Sawant, Yana Gupta, Mallika Sherawat and Mumaith Khan. Dressed more provocatively than ever before, they even sparked a debate whether item songs were crossing the line between sensuality and vulgarity. But that hardly seemed to have made a difference to the producers because these item songs caught more eyeballs than the actual film itself.

 

Of late, several foreign dancers like Maryam Zakaria, Nathali Kaur, Gabriela Bertante, Scarlett Wilson are giving the local talent a run for their money. But then, as long as they continue to set the screens on fire with their moves, no one’s complaining.

FM

Bollywood's hot red saree fetish

 

Published: Monday, Jul 16, 2012, 11:00 IST
By Pallavi Chattopadhyay | Place: New Delhi | Agency: DNA, Zee Research Group
If Red Saree has become the latest fashion rage in Bollywood, then blame it on Kareena Kapoor’s Chammak Challo from Ra.One. Just before Kapoor shook her legs on international hip-hop singer Akon’s enthralling number, Vidya Balan had already raised the temperatures by flaunting her red-draped voluptuous figure in The Dirty Picture.

Bollywood’s tryst with the red saree can be traced back to as early as 1969. Vyjayanthimala clad in a red saree showered with gold sequins gained a huge fan following when the nation’s heartthrob Shammi Kapoor with his trademark frenzied head shake sang Badan pe sitare lapete hue.

 

When an innocent faced Jaya Bhaduri sang the classical beauty Bole re papeehara in Guddi (1971), she dazzled in her red Benarsee saree with golden borders when she matured from a school going girl obsessed with Dharmendra to a young woman.

 

The hotness quotient of the red saree was unveiled to the Indian audience on screen when Dimple Kapadia set heartbeats racing with her radiating skin and sensuous moves in the song Jane do na in Sagar in a rain-soaked crimson saree.

Underlining the importance of red, veteran designer Rina Dhaka says, “Red is a colour that cannot go unnoticed. Saree is the sexiest form of drape and the idea of baring the required and concealing the rest all the more makes it very sexy. It’s a whole nine yard of fabric that makes you look super sexy and stylish whereas other stitched garments would fail and with the combination of red it is nothing but classic.”

 

Bollywood movies have volunteered to advocate this statement. When Kajol donned a wine coloured chiffon saree in Karan Johar’s directorial debut Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, it made Shahrukh Khan’s character instantly fall in love. It unleashed the feminine side of her character Anjali, metamorphosing her from a young tomboy to a beautiful lady, and what better way to depict the transformation than with a blood red saree. Given the background of the scene in the movie, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that red saree and rain go hand-in-hand.

 

Even former Miss World Aishwarya Rai has worn red sarees in at least two movies. Her elegant look came out prominently with the red saree in the Title song of the movie Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam while in Devdas, Rai showcased the simplicity of a traditional saree of the same colour in the song Silsila ye chahat ka.

Shahrukh Khan could not resist falling down on his knees and singing Chand mera dil, Chandni ho tum when he first saw his Chemistry teacher Sushmita Sen dressed in a red georgette saree in Main Hoon Na. Maybe the scene in a way depicted the surrender of Bollywood designers to red sarees and their never ending love for the traditional Indian attire.

 

Several B-town actresses have popularised this trend lately. Vidya Balan brought out the flamboyant side of her character by flaunting a scarlet red saree in her curvaceous figure.

 

The latest film that has carried on the legacy of the red saree is Rowdy Rathore. While Sonakshi Sinha’sperformance in Chammak challo chail chabeeli might have drawn comparisons to Kareena Kapoor’s Chammak challo in Ra.One, what remains common between the two is their plum red saree.

 

The teaser of the much awaited movie Jism 2 that shows Sunny Leone of Big Boss fame flaunting her hour glass figure in a bright red saree is already creating a buzz in Bollywood.

 

Pointing out the relation between the colour red and saree, renowned fashion designer Ritu Kumar says, “Red saris are evocative of the best of a woman’s charm”. She further adds that red as a colour has a very strong appeal in India as it connotes wedding, fertility and auspicious occasions.

 

So do red sarees never go out of fashion in Bollywood? As veteran designer Ritu Kumar puts it, “Yes, because they are more than fashion - they symbolize a way of life.

FM

Add Reply

×
×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×
×