Vyjayanthimala Bali born 13 August 1936, also known by the mononym Vyjayanthimala, is a former Bollywood and Kollywood actress
who also appears in Tollywood and Bengali films.
She is also a
Bharathanatyam dancer, Carnatic
singer,dance choreographer and parliamentarian. She made her
debut in the Tamil
language film Vazhkai in 1949 and in the Telugu Film Jeevitham in 1950 later became one of the most
prominent actresses of South India and the golden era in Bollywood. She shot to fame when one of her film, Nagin becomes blockbuster at box office in 1954. After the success
of that films, her career later focused more on Bollywood films where most of
her movie was commercially successful beside being received well by critics
alike. She also occasionally made appearance in Tamil films where she was also
regarded as one of the successful actress in the industry.[1]Beside her ability as
an actress, she was also accomplish dancer who introduced semi-classical dance
in Bollywood films and predated the concept of item number. Furthermore, she was the
first South Indian actress
who becomes a national star which pave the way for other South Indian actress
to foray into Bollywood.
Vyjayanthimala was one of 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 a way" for other south Indian actresses to foray into Bollywood.[5][6] Vyjayanthimala is an accomplished
dancer and was one of those who introduced semi-classical dance to Bollywood.[7][8] Her subsequent dance numbers in her films had earned her the title
of "twinkle toes".[9][10] She was also referred to as one of the
first female superstars of Hindi cinema and was known as
"Numero Uno actress" for her "illustrious career in 1950s and
1960s".
Vyjayanthimala made her screen debut at the
age of 13 through the Tamil film Vazhkai (1949) and Telugu Film Jeevitham in 1950 and acted in Bollywood filmsBahar and Ladki. Following the
success of Nagin,
Vyjayanthimala established herself as one of Bollywood's
leading actresses while making in-roads in successful Tamil and Telugu films. After successfully establishing
herself as a commercial actress, Vyjayanthimala appeared in Devdas playing Chandramukhi thehooker with a heart of gold in 1955. In her first dramatic role,
she received her first Filmfare
Award for Best Supporting Actress at the 4th Filmfare Awards where she refused to accept the award
citing that her role was not a supporting role, being the first person to
refuse a Filmfare
Award. Following that, Vyjayanthimala appeared in series of
blockbuster films such as New Delhi, Naya Daur and Aasha.
She reached the pinnacle of her success in 1958, when two of her films;Sadhna and Madhumati became huge critical and commercial
hits. She was nominated for two Filmfare Award for Best Actress Award for Sadhna and Madhumatiand
won the award for the former.
At this point of time, Vyjayanthimala made
comeback to the Tamil films, where she tasted commercial success with Vanjikottai Valiban, Irumbu Thirai, Baghdad
Thirudan and Then Nilavu.
In 1961, the release of Dilip Kumar's Ganga Jumna saw her playing a rustic village belle
Dhanno who speak Bhojpuri dialect, critics applauded her
performance with some labeled it as her best performance till date. She won her
second Filmfare Award for Best Actress for her role in Ganga Jumna. Beginning from
1962, most of her films performed either averagely or poorly at the box office.
However in 1964 with the success of Sangam her career hits the peak again. She
reinvented herself playing a modern Indian girl while appearing in revealing
costumes and one-piece swimsuit.
She went to receive her third Best Actress Award at the 12th Filmfare Awards for her role as Radha in Sangam. She later achieve
critical acclaim for her performance in the historical
drama Amrapali,
which was based on the life of Nagarvadhu (royal courtesan)
of Vaishali, Amrapali.
Though the film received universal acclaim but it was a huge box office
failure, which leave Vyjayanthimala, who had a huge expectation on
the film, disenchanted to the point where she decided to quit films. In the end of her carer Vyjayanthimala
was mostly seen in commercially successful films such as Suraj, Jewel Thief and Prince with
few critically acclaimed films such as Hatey Bazarey and Sunghursh.
Most of the films was released after Vyjayanthimala had leave the film
industry.
Besides films, 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 practising artists.[15] The award was presented to
Vyjayanthimala in 1982 for her contribution in Bharata
Natyam field.
Moreover, Vyjayanthimala is also an avid golfer and is one of the oldest
golfers in Chennai. She has also served as chairperson of 48th National Film Awards.
Early life
She was born in Triplicane situated near Parthasarathy Temple in an orthodox and religious Tamil Brahmin family to M. D. Raman and Vasundhara
Devi. Her
mother was a leading actress in Tamil Cinema in 1940s where her film Mangama Sabatham was the first ever Tamil film to be
declared a "colossal" hit at the box office.[18] She used to call her mother by her
name as her mother was only 16 years older than her.[19] Similarly, she also called her father
"Anna", meaning elder brother, as her father happened to be the
eldest in their family and everyone called him "Anna" which is common
in a Hindu joint family. She was raised primarily by her
maternal grandmother, Yadugiri Devi, and M.D. Raman. She was also known as
"Papakutty", which means little child. Herancestors were from Mysore (now in Karnataka). In 1938, her grandfather Gopalacharya,
the late Mandayam Dhati, started a nursing home on Narayan Shastri Road, Mysore.
At the age of five, Vyjayanthimala was chosen
to perform a classical Indian dance for Pope Pius XII while her mother was an audience in
1940 at Vatican City. Vyjayanthi did her schooling from
Sacred Heart Higher Secondary School, Presentation Convent, Church Park,
Chennai. She learned Bharata
Natyam from Guru
Vazhuvoor Ramiah Pillai and Carnatic
music from Manakkal
Sivaraja Iyer. She had her arangetram at the age of 13 and started
performing in Tamil Nadu later.
Acting career
Early career: Debut and breakthrough, (1949-1953)
When director M. V. Raman was looking for a
new face to cast in AVM Productions's Vazhkai, he saw Vyjayanthimala
performing Bharata Natyam in Chennai's Gokhale Hall.[24] He tried to convince her grandmother,
who was apprehensive about Vyjayanthimala joining films as she felt it would
come in the way of her education and dance.[20] Vyjayanthimala played a college girl
named Mohana Shivashankaralingam and acted along with senior actors S. V. Sahasranamam,
M. S. Draupadi, T. R. Ramachandran and K. Sankarapani. The movie was a
big success and was remade in Telugu after
one year as Jeevitham with a slightly different cast, namely C. H. Narayana Rao, S. Varalakshmi and C.
S. R. Anjaneyulu. This film also enjoyed great success upon release. For the Telugu version,
Vyjayanthimala did her own voice dubbing with a little assistance from her
father who knew Telugu well
and coached her during the filming process. Vyjayanthimala also did a guest
appearance in the 1950 film Vijayakumari which had actress T. R. Rajakumari in dual role. She danced for the song
"laalu...laalu...laalu" which was choreographed by Vedantam Raghavaiah. Though the film was not a commercial
success but her western-style of dance became popular and was considered as one
of the major highlights of the film.
The success of her Tamil film Vazhkai in South India inspired AVM Productions to remake it in Hindi as Bahar in
1951. In their first Hindi venture, they decided to cast Vyjayanthimala again
in the lead role with Karan Dewan, Om Prakash and Pandari Bai (who was credited as Padmini in the
film). She learned Hindi at
the Hindi Prachar Sabha to dub her own voice for her character in the film. Upperstall.com in their review, wrote that "She
does bring the film to life with her dances though, something which was new
then for the North Indian audience".[27] The film became sixth highest
grossing film of 1951 with
a verdict of box-office hit.
After the success of all her debut films in
all three languages, Vyjayanthimala again acted in multilingual film which was produced by Avichi Meiyappa
Chettiar of AVM Productions. The first version was in Tamil asPenn where
she co-starred with actor Gemini Ganesan, S. Balachandran and Anjali Devi. The song
"Kalyanam...venum" sung by J. P. Chandrababu for S. Balachandran became an instant hit. The second version was in Telugu
titled Sangham which was released in the same year
with N. T. Rama Rao, Vyjayanthimala, S. Balachandran and
Anjali Devi in the lead. The Tamil and the Telugu films were big successes
across South India. The film was once again remade in Hindi as Ladki starring Bharat Bhushan, Kishore Kumar while Vyjayanthimala along with Anjali
Devi reprised her role from the original film. Her performance was described by
Upperstall.com as, "Vyjayanthimala's dances are the film's saving grace
although it is unintentionally funny now to see how deliberate and obviously
tacky the sequences are which lead into her dances[...]Ladki too makes no real
demands on 'feminist' tomboy Vyjayanthimala histrionically". The movie became second highest
grossing film of 1953.
1954-1956
In 1954, Vyjayanthimala acted in magnum opus
film Nagin with Pradeep Kumar. The film got favourable
responses from the audience and became the highest grossing
movie of 1954 where it
was labelled as blockbuster. Her performance as the Nagi tribe's
chief, Mala got her favourable reviews from the critics, where in 1955 a critic
from Filmfaremagazine had said that
"Vyjayanthimala in the title role puts over a commendable performance
besides looking ravishingly beautiful as the belle of the hills. Her dancing,
too, is very graceful, specially in those eye-filling colour sequences and
delightful ballets towards the finish" while in The Hindu review
Vijay Lokapally similarly praised her portrayal "The ethereal
Vyjayanthimala, barely 18, illuminates the screen with her stunning beauty,
moving around daintily from one song to the otherThe close-up shots of
Vyjayanthimala highlight her ability to convey so much with so little effort Nagin
was a precursor to her rise in Hindi cinema as an iconic actor, who combined
her talents, performing and dancing, to rule the screen on her
terms biggest recall values of Nagin are Vyjayanthimala". Post Nagin Vyjayanthimala had established herself
as one of the leading actresses in Bollywood because of the film's nationwide
success. Hemant Kumar's music and her dance on the
song, Man Dole, Mera tan dole,
rendered by Lata Mangeshkar was one of the highlights of the film. In the same year she also acted in Miss Mala with Kishore Kumar. Vyjayanthimala also debuted
in Kannada cinema through a film called Asha Nirashawhich was produced by G. D.
Venkatram. The film also had Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle and Mohammed Rafi as the playback singers,] but
the movie was unreleased though
the producer's son Srikant Venkatram claimed that the film was released and
flopped miserably at box office which made the film obscure.
In 1955, Vyjayanthimala acted in around 4
films in Bollywood. The first one was by director Abdur Rashid Kardar's Yasmin alongside actor Suresh which won the Filmfare
Best Cinematographer for
Dwarka Divecha. Besides that, she also starred in three other films
namely Pehli
Jhalak with Kishore Kumar, Sitara with Pradeep Kumar and Jashan with Karan Dewan. Eventually all the
films failed at box office.
The same year, Bimal Roy cast
her as Chandramukhi opposite Dilip Kumar in the critically acclaimed Devdas which was the adaptation of the novel
with same title by Sharat Chandra
Chatterji. The industry initially was not in favour of this choice
when they heard about Vyjayanthimala being cast in Bimal Roy's film, the
response being: "Why don't you take comedian Kishore Kumar as Devdas?". Initially Nargis was
selected for Chandramukhi's role, but she refused to accept the role. The role
was later offered to Bina Rai and Suraiya but
they too turned it down as they wanted to essay the lead role of Paro, which
was earlier offered to Meena Kumari. Subsequently, the film unit suffered
with financial crisis and at this point Vyjayanthimala
offered to do the role of Chandramukhi where she said to Bimal Roy, "I am ready if you think I
can do it".[41] On the other hand, Nabendu Ghosh, the script writer of Devdas,
said that, "I did not approve of Vyjayanthimala [as Chandramukhi], but we
had no option – no one wanted to play Chandramukhi, and we were committed to
our distributors[...]She was, of course, a very good actress, but she was too
young for Chandramukhi, as envisioned by Saratbabu". On her performance, Rediff wrote,
"Vyjayanthimala imbues Chandramukhi with true sympathy. Who better than
Chandramukhi would know the pain of a hopeless love? Vyjayanthimala, a star
after the blockbuster Nagin, still had to establish her acting credentials when
Roy went against the tide and cast her in the role of Chandramukhi". While Upperstall.com describes her performance as,
"Vyjayantimala's Chandramukhi is embellished with her graceful dance style
that evolves with the evolution in her character within the film from a popular
dancing woman to a woman, who, in love with Devdas, has unconsciously mutated
to reflect the mainstream woman. For Vyjayantimala, the character marked a
turning point from glamour to pure histrionics, offering her scope to explore
her potential as a dramatic actress without taking away from her, the most
outstanding gift she brought to cinema – her dance". Subsequently, she won Filmfare
Award for Best Supporting Actress but
refused to accept it, stating that her role was a leading one and in equal
importance to the role essayed bySuchitra Sen and not supporting.[43] In 2006, a poll conducted by Rediff ranked
her role of Chandramukhi as one of the best Tawaif character
in Bollywood.[44] Subsequently, the same role was listed
in The Times of India's
"10 Celluloid Hookers You Loved" at number six by Nikhat Kazmi.[45] Though the film was critically
successful but it did not garner much support at the box office and ended up as 10th highest
grossing movie of 1955 with
an average verdict .
After being recognised as a capable actress
with Devdas,
Vyjayanthimala acted in various movies in 1956, namely Taj, Patrani and Anjaan:
Somewhere in Dehli with Pradeep Kumar and Kismet
Ka Khel with Sunil Dutt. In the same year, she also
acted in swashbuckler film Devta which
was a remake of a hugely successful Tamil film Kanavaney Kankanda Deivam. Surprisingly though, she accepted a
supporting role as a vampwhich was
originally done by Lalitha in
the Tamil version. However according to Upperstall.com, her role was very crucial
in the film and her portrayal as the Naag Rani accompanied by her dance is the
main attraction of the film. Also
starring in the movie, reprising their lead roles from the original, were Gemini Ganesan and Anjali Devi. Meanwhile, she was also signed by Sohrab Modi for his film Rajhath opposite Pradeep Kumar. However due to her schedule
problem she was replaced by Madhubala. Vyjayanthimala then acted with Kishore Kumar again in the comedy film New Delhi which became the fifth
highest grossing film of 1956 a
box-office hit.[50] The film showcases a love that sprouts
between a Punjabi boy,
played Kishore Kumar, and Tamil girl,
played by Vyjayanthimala. Her performance was applauded by fans and critics
alike; a review on Upperstall.com regarding her performance in this
movie states that, "Vyjayanthimala proves to be the perfect foil for
Kishore Kumar[...]has always had the mandatory dance sequence in practically
every film of hers evoking 'classical art' associations. She excels in the two
main dances in New Delhi — the solo Bharatnatayam Aliruppu number and the
Bhangra folk dance in her Punjabi avtaar and she is absolutely brilliant in the
Bhangra folk dance[...]in her second avtar. Even Vyjayanthimala played a
Punjabi girl and most successfully too". Subsequently,
she also did a Tamil film called Marma Veeran along with Sriram,Rajasulochana, M. N. Rajam, J. P. Chandrababu and Chittor V. Nagaiah.
The film had some of the South Indian established actors such as N. T. Rama Rao, Sivaji Ganesan and Gemini Ganesan in guest appearance.
1957-58: Success and Stardom in Bollywood
In 1957, director B. R. Chopra planned to make Naya Daur with Ashok Kumar in the lead. However, the actor
refused to accept this role and it later went to Dilip Kumar.[52]For the female lead, the first
choice of the director was the star-actress of those days, Madhubala. But, as fate would have it,
after 15 days of initial shooting at Mumbai, the director wanted the unit to travel to Bhopal for
an extended outdoor shooting. However, Ataullah Khan, the father of Madhubala, objected to this and the role
went to Vyjayanthimala. Chopra later sued Madhubala for
the cash advance she received from him for the film, saying that she accepted
the sum and now had no intention of completing it.[53] Vyjyanthimala had previously acted
with Dilip Kumar in Devdas and the duo shared an easy chemistry
on-screen. The new film, Naya Daur, had a theme of "man vs. machine"
and Vyjanthi's portrayal of a village belle Rajni received positive reviews
from critics. A review from Rediff says
that, "Vyjayanthimala too is not your average petulant gaon ki gori. She ably projects
a hands-on worker who comes up with ideas on how to ford a stream and risks her
life to save the bridge wonderful scene between two stars whose chemistry is
undeniable" while reviewer Taran Adarsh from Bollywood Hungama mentions that, "Commendable
performances come in from Vyjayantimala [natural][...]The relationships [Dilip
Kumar-Vyjayantimala] are so human and believable".[55] At the end of its theatrical run, the
film had collected around
54,000,000, thus becoming the second highest
grossing film of 1957, second
only to the critically acclaimed Mother India which became the highest
grossing Bollywood film ever
at the time. Following that, Vyjayanthimala almost
signed for the lead role in Filmistan's Tumsa
Nahin Dekha opposite Dev Anand in
1957, but due to the producer Sashadhar Mukherjee's
promise to actor Shammi Kapoor, he replaced Dev Anand with Shammi Kapoor. However the director, Nasir Hussain was in a quandary as he had already
read the script to Dev Anand and Vyjayanthimala but Mukerji prevailed and he
also replaced Vyjayanthimala with Ameeta, who was the protégée of Filmistan Studios
owner Tolaram Jalan.[58] Vyjayanthimala's next release was Kathputliin
which she co-starred with actor Balraj Sahni for the first time. This film was about a young girl named
Pushpa who, on account of being a good dancer and singer, assists puppeteer
Shivraj in his puppet show. This film was director Amiya
Chakravarty's last film. He
died during the filming of Kathputli and the remaining project was
completed by director Nitin Bose. Kathputli remains as one of the memorable film
of Vyjayanthimala which has an offbeat theme with a Pygmalion touch. Vyjayanthimala then acted in Ek Jhalak with Rajendra Kumar and Pradeep Kumar which was produced by the latter with
his home production company Deep
& Pradeep Productions. She
returned to the screen again with Kishore Kumar in the 1957 partially colour-made film Aasha which
became a hit at the box office. The
story revolves around the central character Kishore, played by Kishore Kumar,
who, despite being a Zamindaar, believes in helping the needy. Vyjayanthimala,
as Nirmala, plays the lover of Kishore. The story suddenly goes from being
light-hearted and humorous to a court-drama when Kishore is falsely accused for
murder. The rest of the movie sees both the protagonists trying to prove
Kishore's innocence. The movie is best known for its song Eena Meena Dekha sung by Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle, in two different versions Aasha also introduced actress Asha Parekh, to the silver screen, in a
song alongside Vyjayanthimala, whom Parekh described as her matinee idol.
54,000,000, thus becoming the second highest
grossing film of 1957, second
only to the critically acclaimed Mother India which became the highest
grossing Bollywood film ever
at the time. Following that, Vyjayanthimala almost
signed for the lead role in Filmistan's Tumsa
Nahin Dekha opposite Dev Anand in
1957, but due to the producer Sashadhar Mukherjee's
promise to actor Shammi Kapoor, he replaced Dev Anand with Shammi Kapoor. However the director, Nasir Hussain was in a quandary as he had already
read the script to Dev Anand and Vyjayanthimala but Mukerji prevailed and he
also replaced Vyjayanthimala with Ameeta, who was the protégée of Filmistan Studios
owner Tolaram Jalan.[58] Vyjayanthimala's next release was Kathputliin
which she co-starred with actor Balraj Sahni for the first time. This film was about a young girl named
Pushpa who, on account of being a good dancer and singer, assists puppeteer
Shivraj in his puppet show. This film was director Amiya
Chakravarty's last film. He
died during the filming of Kathputli and the remaining project was
completed by director Nitin Bose. Kathputli remains as one of the memorable film
of Vyjayanthimala which has an offbeat theme with a Pygmalion touch. Vyjayanthimala then acted in Ek Jhalak with Rajendra Kumar and Pradeep Kumar which was produced by the latter with
his home production company Deep
& Pradeep Productions. She
returned to the screen again with Kishore Kumar in the 1957 partially colour-made film Aasha which
became a hit at the box office. The
story revolves around the central character Kishore, played by Kishore Kumar,
who, despite being a Zamindaar, believes in helping the needy. Vyjayanthimala,
as Nirmala, plays the lover of Kishore. The story suddenly goes from being
light-hearted and humorous to a court-drama when Kishore is falsely accused for
murder. The rest of the movie sees both the protagonists trying to prove
Kishore's innocence. The movie is best known for its song Eena Meena Dekha sung by Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle, in two different versions Aasha also introduced actress Asha Parekh, to the silver screen, in a
song alongside Vyjayanthimala, whom Parekh described as her matinee idol.
The following year proved to be very
successful for Vyjayanthimala where she signed opposite Dilip Kumar in Bimal Roy's Madhumati in the title role. Originally supposed
to essay four roles, the director finally scaled it down to three, Madhumati,
Madhavi and Radha. The film was
launched in front of the Karlovy
Vary International Film Festival Theatre
in Czechoslovakia.[66] During the filming at the hills of Nainital, Vyjayanthimala was required to
dance with barefoot where she tripped on a stone and fell while hurting herself
badly causing damage to her fibre tissues in the sole of
her foot. Roy who was terrified
and in a quandary over the incident as the shooting could not be stopped
insisted on her wearing sandals which
made it difficult for her during running sequences. Even after the completion of
Madhumati, she still encountered the pain from the injury which always reminded
her of Madhumati's shooting experience. Written by Ritwik Ghatak, the film is about Devendra,
played by Dilip Kumar, who takes shelter during a storm in an abandoned house.
Here he discovers a painting of the owner of the house Raja Ugranarayan painted
by him in his previous life when was Anand, also played by Dilip Kumar, and
worked as a foreman on a plantation of Raja Ugranarayan. Devendra had been in
love with Madhumati, played by Vyjayanthimala. She had committed suicide while
trying to save herself from Ugranarayan’s advances. Madhumati’s ghost finally
takes revenge on Ugranarayan.[69] The film was well received by critics
and audience where it became highest grossing
Bollywood film of 1958[70] and was labelled as blockbuster at box
office and ended up as fifth highest grossing film of the decade with its
adjusted inflation net gross to about 586.4 million.[71] Her performance as Madhavi, Radha and
the ghost Madhumati earned her accoladates from critics. Shahid Khan from
Planetbollywood.com said "Vyjayantimala has never been one of my most
favourite actresses but this is one of the few performances where I am completely
bowled over by her. Her expressions while playing both the main characters are
perfect. With Madhumati, she brings the wonder, surprise and innocence needed
in the person. With Madhavi, she brings the poise, the curiosity and pity for
the grief that Anand is going through"[72] and Karan Bali from Upperstall.com wrote that "For Vyjayanthimala,
the film showcases both her acting as well as dancing abilities and the
dizzying success of Madhumati took Vyjayanthimala to the highest
rungs of stardom[...]to cap off an extremely successful year for her. Both, as
an actress of considerable dramatic merit and as a star".[73] Madhumati came to be known as the first film
which dealt with the theme of reincarnation and had a gothic noir feel
to it.[74] The film later inspired films such as Milan (1967), The
Reincarnation of Peter Proud (1975), Mehbooba (1976), Kudrat (1980), Karz (1980), Karan Arjun(1995) and particularly Om Shanti Om (2007) which had also lifted the films
climax which led to Rinki Bhattacharya,
the late Roy's daughter accusing the film of plagiarism and threatening legal
action against its producers.[75][76]
586.4 million.[71] Her performance as Madhavi, Radha and
the ghost Madhumati earned her accoladates from critics. Shahid Khan from
Planetbollywood.com said "Vyjayantimala has never been one of my most
favourite actresses but this is one of the few performances where I am completely
bowled over by her. Her expressions while playing both the main characters are
perfect. With Madhumati, she brings the wonder, surprise and innocence needed
in the person. With Madhavi, she brings the poise, the curiosity and pity for
the grief that Anand is going through"[72] and Karan Bali from Upperstall.com wrote that "For Vyjayanthimala,
the film showcases both her acting as well as dancing abilities and the
dizzying success of Madhumati took Vyjayanthimala to the highest
rungs of stardom[...]to cap off an extremely successful year for her. Both, as
an actress of considerable dramatic merit and as a star".[73] Madhumati came to be known as the first film
which dealt with the theme of reincarnation and had a gothic noir feel
to it.[74] The film later inspired films such as Milan (1967), The
Reincarnation of Peter Proud (1975), Mehbooba (1976), Kudrat (1980), Karz (1980), Karan Arjun(1995) and particularly Om Shanti Om (2007) which had also lifted the films
climax which led to Rinki Bhattacharya,
the late Roy's daughter accusing the film of plagiarism and threatening legal
action against its producers.[75][76]
The same month she had another release, B. R. Chopra's Sadhna alongside Sunil Dutt. Vyjayanthimala was the second
choice for the role of Champabai, the prostitute, after actress Nimmi who hesitated to play the role of a
prostitute which arguably led to her career decline.[77] The Filmfare
award winning story by
Mukhram Sharma revolves around Rajini, enacted by Vyjayanthimala, a
prostitute's love affair with a professor, played by Sunil Dutt.[78] Chopra who previously directed
Vyjayanthimala in Naya Daur,
had adapted the theme on the rehabilitation of prostitutes which was then a
controversial topic in India.[79] Along with the film her performance
received universal acclaim, as told by Vijay Lokapally from The Hindu, "Among the great movies
made on the subject of helpless women versus society, Sadhna holds its own for
its realistic portrayal and treatment of a subject, so aesthetically documented
by Chopra and Vyjayanthimala" and praised the latter "gorgeous when
she entertains the clients at her kotha[...]stunningly restrained when she
assumes the character of a prospective wife".[80] Similarly, the Rediff's critic Dinesh Raheja has commented that
"But finally, the show belongs to Vyjayanthimala. Fetchingly frivolous in
the first half, she is suitably serious in the second. She makes her need for
acceptance palpable; her eyes emit twin lasers of anger and condemnation at
those that exploit women".[81] Sadhna also performed well at the box office
where it became fifth highest
grossing film of 1958 with
trade pundits declaring the film a box-office hit.[82] Subsequently, Vyjayanthimala received
two Filmfare nominations
in Best
actress category for Madhumati and Sadhna,
where she won her first ever Filmfare trophy for the latter after refusing to
accept the Best
Supporting Actress Award trophy
for Devdas (1955) earlier. Her next release was Amar Deep where she was paired against Dev Anand
for the first time.[83] A production of Sivaji Ganesan's Sivaji Productions,
the film was a remake of 1956 Tamil film Amara Deepam which had Ganesan himself in the lead.[84][84] Along with Padmini who
reprised her role from the original,[85] Vyjayanthimala plays the role of Aruna
which was originally performed by actress Savitri in
Tamil.[86]
In 2011, in conjunction with actor Dev
Anand's death, Vyjayanthimala recollected her memories during the filming in Madras where
she remembers the actor calling her "Papa", the Tamil termed that was
used by her family and friends, and he would search for her throughout the sets
while yelling "where is Papa, where is my heroine".[87] According to Subhash Chheda, when Amar Deep was released, the long-awaited airing
of Vyjayanthimala and Dev Anand was compared to the Madhubala and
Dev Anand pair, where the public verdicted that ""If Madhubala brooks
no equality, Vyjayanthimala admits no superiority".[65] Unfortunately, the film failed to turn
Vyjayanthimala and Dev Anand team into a hit pair.[65] The same year Vyjayanthimala was
booked by M. G. Ramachandran for his second directorial venture Ponniyin
Selvan.[88] One of the first screen adaptation of Kalki Krishnamurthy's Ponniyin Selvan the film had a huge ensemble cast consisting of Gemini Ganesan, Padmini, Savitri, Saroja Devi, M. N. Rajam and Nagesh along
with Ramachandran and Vyjayanthimala.[89] In the film, she was given the role of Kundavai, the elder sister of Raja Raja Chola I, played by Ganesan and
the wife of Vallavaraiyan
Vandiyadevan, played by Ramachandran.[89] However, in the mid of 1958 the film
was shelved for unknown reasons.[88] The same year she did another Tamil
film Gemini Pictures's Magnum opus Vanjikottai Valiban along with Gemini Ganesan and Padmini.[90] Written by Gemini Story Department
which was headed by Kothamangalam Subbu,
the Black-and-white epic film was
produced and directed by S. S. Vasan.[90] She played the role of Princess
Mandakini, the beautiful princess of Ratna Island Kingdom. As a stubborn
princess, she always wanted to achieve her ambition in any deed which led to
her ultimate death and formed the climax. The film had a great theatrical run
where the film completed 100 days run at cinemas and was labelled as
blockbuster at box office.[91][92] The film is still remembered for the
dance of Vyjayanthimala and Padmini in the "Kannum Kannum
Kalanthu" song which was choreographed by Hiralal and was well
received by critics and audience alike wherein the popularity of the song
surpassed the popularity garnered by the film.[90] The song is still regarded as one of
the best dance sequences inIndian cinema.[93] Vanjikottai Valiban was followed by its Hindi version
titled Raj Tilak.
Screenplay of the film was by Ramanand Sagar. The film was directed by S.
S. Vasan with Ganesan, Vyjayanthimala and Padmini in the lead.[94] Within a week, the film sank at box
office and was unable to achieve the same box office success made by the Tamil
version.[65] By the end of the year, The Indian Express named Vyjayanthimala as the most
successful female star of 1958.[65] Similarly, Boxofficeindia.com also
ranked Vyjayanthimala at the top spot in their list of "Top Three
Successful Box Office Actress of 1958".[38]
1959-60: Return to Tamil films
In 1959, Vyjayanthimala reunited with Dilip Kumar for the fourth time in bilingual Paigham. Produced and directed by S. S. Vasan, the film featured the lead
actors along with Raaj Kumar, B. Saroja Devi, Pandari Baiand Motilal.[95] Besides them, Vyjayanthimala's real
life mother Vasunthara Devi also acted in a small role where she
played the role of mother to her own daughter who died in vain.[96] Upon release Paigham becamesecond highest
grossing film of 1959 with
a verdict of a box-office hit.[97] The same year she also did a Tamil
film, Athisaya Penn where she co-starred with Telugu actor Akkineni
Nageswara Rao for the
first time.Athisaya Penn was
a remake of Aasha which
again was directed by M. V. Raman.
In 1960, Vyjayanthimala mostly concentrated
on Tamil films to keep in touch with the industry.[20] Her first release in 1960 was S. S. Vasan's Irumbu Thirai, the Tamil version of Paigham.[98] She starred opposite Sivaji Ganesan for the second time after the latter's
cameo appearance in Marma Veeran (1956).[99] Along with Vyjayanthimala, all the
female cast including B. Saroja Devi, Pandari Bai and Vasunthara Devi reprised their role from the original
with S. V. Ranga Rao in Motilal's role and K. A. Thangavelu in Raaj Kumar's character.[95] The film was followed by Raja Bakthi again with Sivaji Ganesan. Raja Bakthi had huge ensemble castfeaturing P. Bhanumathi, Padmini, T. S. Balaiah and E. V. Saroja. Her subsequent release was D. Yoganand's magnum opus Parthiban
Kanavu. Co-starring Gemini Ganesan for the third time and B. Saroja Devi for the second time, the film was
based on Kalki Krishnamurthy's
1942 novel with the same name.[88] Apart from Tamil, the film was
produced in Telugu and Sinhala languages.[100] Upon release the film met with
positive response from the critics and was awarded the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil at the 8th National
Film Awards.[101] However the film did not fare well at
box office but Vyjayanthimala's performance was appreciated by critics.[102] She also acted opposite M. G. Ramachandran for the first time in Baghdad Thirudan.[103] Meanwhile, she also did a Hindi film
titled College Girl opposite Shammi Kapoor which fared average at box office and
was declared as eighteenth
highest grossing film of the year.
1961-63: Reigns Supreme in Hindi
Following successful re-entry in Tamil
cinema, Vyjayanthimala then signed Dilip Kumar's home production film Gunga Jumna. Having inspired by 1934 Manhattan Melodrama,
the film was one of the first Bollywood films to deal with the theme based on
two brothers on the opposite sides of law.[105] Directed by Nitin Bose, she co-starred Kumar for the
fifth time after Devdas, Naya Daur, Madhumati, Paigham. In this dacoit drama, she enacted the role of
Dhanno, a washerwoman who falls for childhood friend Gunga,
played by Kumar and eventually killed during a gun fight. To prepare herself
for that role, Vyjayanthimala had to learn theBhojpuri, a Hindi language dialect spoken
by people in East India region. She was assisted by Kumar who
also chose the shade of saree that Vyjayanthimala would wear in
every scene. Upon release the film opened to widespread critical acclaim from
the critics. Her performance earned her rave reviews. Dinesh Raheja from Rediff said
that "Ganga Jamuna deployed several crowd-pleasing elements[...]most of
all, an enchanting relationship between Dilip Kumar and Vyjayanthimala[...]
Their characterisation ran so deep, which helped Dilip Kumar and Vyjayanthimala
give magnetic performances. Dilip is of course a thespian but Vyjayanthimala is
a revelation" while K. K. Rai from Stardust applauded her performance by adding
"Vyjayanthimala played the village woman with such simplicity and grace;
you’d forget she was one of the most glamorous stars of her time. She also
spoke the Bhojpuri dialect like a native".[106][107] Critics also praised Vyjayanthimala
for her ability to master the Bhojpuri dialect despite her South Indian
upbringing. Subsequently, the film also enjoyed huge success at box office
across India. At the end of its theatrical run, the film grossed around 70,000,000 with net gross of 35,000,000 and a verdict
of a blockbuster.[108] The film was the Highest grossing
film of 1961 and was
third highest grossing Hindi film of the decade behind Mughal-e-Azam and Sangam,
another Kumar and Vyjayanthimala starer respectively.[109] The film was also ranked second by
Boxofficeindia.co.in behind Mughal-e-Azam in their list of "Top 50 Film of
Last 50 Years" which features all-time highest grossing Bollywood films by
using the relative price of gold in different years to arrive at a hypothetical
current value of box-office collections of past films with its adjustment to
inflation rate. 7.36
billion (US$120 million).[110] For her performance Vyjayanthimala was
awarded with the Filmfare
Award for Best Actress trophy
at the 9th Filmfare Awards.[111] In addition to that, she also bagged
her first ever Bengal
Film Journalists' Association Awards in the Best Actress category.[112] In the same year, she starred in C. V. Sridhar's Nazrana.
Remake of highly successful 1959 Tamil film Kalyana Parisu, again directed by
Sridhar, she acted alongside Raj Kapoor for the first time. She played the
role of Vasanthi wherein she replaced actress B. Saroja Devi who did not reprise her role from Kadhal Parisu and its Telugu remake Pelli Kanuka.[113] The triangular love story received
average run at the cinemas and ended as twelfth highest grossing film of that
year.[108] The same year she did another film
with Sridhar. Being the first Tamil film to be shot in Jammu and Kashmir, she acted alongside Gemini Ganesan after a long gap in Then Nilavu.[114] The film and the soundtrack was widely
appreciated by the audience where it was a huge success.[115][116] The film was followed by J. Om Prakash's Aas Ka Panchhi with Rajendra Kumar.[117] For her portrayal Vyjayanthimala got
some negative feedback from the critics, The Hindu review said that "Even the
otherwise powerhouse of talent, Vyjayantimala, with many a sterling performance
under her belt, barely passes muster, despite the usual dance and song sequence
to showcase her formidable prowess as an accomplished dancer thrown in".[118] Despite some mixed reviews, the film
was labelled as hit at box office and was declared as the fourth highest
grossing film of 1961 where it had a silver jubilee run at the theatres.[108][119]
70,000,000 with net gross of 35,000,000 and a verdict
of a blockbuster.[108] The film was the Highest grossing
film of 1961 and was
third highest grossing Hindi film of the decade behind Mughal-e-Azam and Sangam,
another Kumar and Vyjayanthimala starer respectively.[109] The film was also ranked second by
Boxofficeindia.co.in behind Mughal-e-Azam in their list of "Top 50 Film of
Last 50 Years" which features all-time highest grossing Bollywood films by
using the relative price of gold in different years to arrive at a hypothetical
current value of box-office collections of past films with its adjustment to
inflation rate. 7.36
billion (US$120 million).[110] For her performance Vyjayanthimala was
awarded with the Filmfare
Award for Best Actress trophy
at the 9th Filmfare Awards.[111] In addition to that, she also bagged
her first ever Bengal
Film Journalists' Association Awards in the Best Actress category.[112] In the same year, she starred in C. V. Sridhar's Nazrana.
Remake of highly successful 1959 Tamil film Kalyana Parisu, again directed by
Sridhar, she acted alongside Raj Kapoor for the first time. She played the
role of Vasanthi wherein she replaced actress B. Saroja Devi who did not reprise her role from Kadhal Parisu and its Telugu remake Pelli Kanuka.[113] The triangular love story received
average run at the cinemas and ended as twelfth highest grossing film of that
year.[108] The same year she did another film
with Sridhar. Being the first Tamil film to be shot in Jammu and Kashmir, she acted alongside Gemini Ganesan after a long gap in Then Nilavu.[114] The film and the soundtrack was widely
appreciated by the audience where it was a huge success.[115][116] The film was followed by J. Om Prakash's Aas Ka Panchhi with Rajendra Kumar.[117] For her portrayal Vyjayanthimala got
some negative feedback from the critics, The Hindu review said that "Even the
otherwise powerhouse of talent, Vyjayantimala, with many a sterling performance
under her belt, barely passes muster, despite the usual dance and song sequence
to showcase her formidable prowess as an accomplished dancer thrown in".[118] Despite some mixed reviews, the film
was labelled as hit at box office and was declared as the fourth highest
grossing film of 1961 where it had a silver jubilee run at the theatres.[108][119]
Her career then struggled again with some box
office duds in the following year. In 1962 she co-starred Manoj Kumar in Dr. Vidya which performed average at box office.[120] Dr. Vidya was followed by two more box office disappointments, Rungoli with Kishore Kumar and Jhoola with Sunil Dutt.
1963 also saw a steady decline in her film
career where she co-starred Sivaji Ganesan in Historical fiction Chittoor Rani
Padmini. Written by C. V. Sridhar and directed by Chitrapu Narayana
Rao, the film also proved to be a box office failure and marked the
end of Vyjayanthimala's career in Tamil cinema. The same year Bimal Roy who
earlier worked with her in Devdas and Madhumati offered her the lead role in Bandini oppositeAshok Kumar and Dharmendra.[121] However Vyjayanthimala could not
accept the role due to her busy schedule.[122] The Boxofficeindia.com ranked
Vyjayanthimala at Top spot in their list of "Top Three Successful Box
Office Actress" of 1962 and 1963 respectively despite her box office failures.[38]
1964-66: Commercial successes and critical acclaim
Following two years sabbatical, Vyjayanthimala re-attained her
success in Bollywood through Raj Kapoor's first technicolor film Sangam.
Termed as Kapoor's magnum opus, the film was produced at
lavish budget by his production company R. K. Films. Earlier in 1940s, Kapoor
planned to launch Sangam in the title of Gharonda with Dilip Kumar and Nargis and
himself in the lead, however the film was delayed for several times until 1962.[123] Following Kumar and Dev Anand's refusal to be a part of the
film, Kapoor then fixed Rajendra Kumar and himself as the male leads.[124] Sangam was the first Indian film shot in
Europe and outside of Asia. It was also the longest
running film in India when
it was released at 238 minutes.[125] The film also created a record by
being the first film to have two cinema intervals.[126] Cinematography by Radhu Kamarkar, the
European filming locations include Venice, Paris, Switzerland and London while the Indian locations
include Ooty and Kashmir Valley.[127] Upon release the film was well
received by critics and was considered as Bollywood's greatest love triangle.[128] Vyjayanthimala's performance too was
praised by critics. Dinesh Raheja of Rediff said
that "to put it simply, radiant[...]the maturity with which she tackles
her character, the insouciance as well as the agony" and call it as
"one of commercial cinema's most unforgettable performances".[129] Similarly, the film was commercially
successful throughout India and other country as well. On its overall
theatrical run, Boxofficeindia.com reported that the film had grossed 8,00,00,000 and netted
around 40,000,000 with its
adjusted to inflation nett gross is about 843900000 (US$14 million).[130]Subsequently, the film was
labelled as blockbuster where it was ranked as highest grossing
film of 1964 and
second highest grossing film of the decade.[131] The film was also ranked at fourth by
Boxofficeindia.co.in in their list of "Top 50 Film of Last 50 Years"
which feature all-time highest grossing Bollywood film with its adjust to
inflation gross is about 7173154362 (US$120 million).[110] Sangam also had great box office run outside
of India where it was well received in countries such as China, Malaysia and
Russia.[132][133] For her role Radha, who caught between
her husband and her former lover, Vyjayanthimala was awarded withFilmfare
Best Actress trophy.
She then co-starred Dilip Kumar for the sixth time in Ram Mukherjee's Leader.
The film was comeback film for Kumar whose last film was Gunga Jumna also with Vyjayanthimala.[134] Like most of Vyjayanthimala and
Kumar's film, their screen chemistry receives praises from the critics, where
Deepak Mahan from The Hindu said "What made the film even
more enjoyable was the equally spirited response of doe-eyed Vyjayantimala,
oozing oodles of impish charm in every frame. The pair carried the film on
their shoulders, giving abundant joy and mirth to audiences with their
outstanding histrionics. Their interactions make the film worth going miles to
watch and it is certain that without their resolute shoulders".[135] However the film did not fare well at
the box office where it was labelled as below average.[130] During the making of Leader, Rediff describe
Vyjayanthimala as "recalcitrant" which annoyed Kumar.[136] The film was followed by Gemini Film's Zindagi directed by Ramanand Sagar. A female centric film, it
features Vyjayanthimala alongside Rajendra Kumar, Raaj Kumar and Prithviraj Kapoor.[137] Zindagi becomes success at box office where it
celebrated silver jubilee theatrical run and was fourth highest grossing film
of that year with verdict hit.[130][138] Soon she signed for Anjali Pictures' Phoolon Ki Sej with Ashok Kumar and Manoj Kumar. Her last release in 1964 was Ishaara, in which she
co-starred actor Joy Mukherjee for the first time.[139]
8,00,00,000 and netted
around 40,000,000 with its
adjusted to inflation nett gross is about 843900000 (US$14 million).[130]Subsequently, the film was
labelled as blockbuster where it was ranked as highest grossing
film of 1964 and
second highest grossing film of the decade.[131] The film was also ranked at fourth by
Boxofficeindia.co.in in their list of "Top 50 Film of Last 50 Years"
which feature all-time highest grossing Bollywood film with its adjust to
inflation gross is about 7173154362 (US$120 million).[110] Sangam also had great box office run outside
of India where it was well received in countries such as China, Malaysia and
Russia.[132][133] For her role Radha, who caught between
her husband and her former lover, Vyjayanthimala was awarded withFilmfare
Best Actress trophy.
She then co-starred Dilip Kumar for the sixth time in Ram Mukherjee's Leader.
The film was comeback film for Kumar whose last film was Gunga Jumna also with Vyjayanthimala.[134] Like most of Vyjayanthimala and
Kumar's film, their screen chemistry receives praises from the critics, where
Deepak Mahan from The Hindu said "What made the film even
more enjoyable was the equally spirited response of doe-eyed Vyjayantimala,
oozing oodles of impish charm in every frame. The pair carried the film on
their shoulders, giving abundant joy and mirth to audiences with their
outstanding histrionics. Their interactions make the film worth going miles to
watch and it is certain that without their resolute shoulders".[135] However the film did not fare well at
the box office where it was labelled as below average.[130] During the making of Leader, Rediff describe
Vyjayanthimala as "recalcitrant" which annoyed Kumar.[136] The film was followed by Gemini Film's Zindagi directed by Ramanand Sagar. A female centric film, it
features Vyjayanthimala alongside Rajendra Kumar, Raaj Kumar and Prithviraj Kapoor.[137] Zindagi becomes success at box office where it
celebrated silver jubilee theatrical run and was fourth highest grossing film
of that year with verdict hit.[130][138] Soon she signed for Anjali Pictures' Phoolon Ki Sej with Ashok Kumar and Manoj Kumar. Her last release in 1964 was Ishaara, in which she
co-starred actor Joy Mukherjee for the first time.[139]
In 1965, Vyjayanthimala starred in two box
office disappointing films Naya
Kanoon with Ashok Kumar and Bharat Bhushan, Nam Iruvar with T. R.
Mahalingam.
In 1966, Vyjayanthimala starred in Do Dilon Ki Dastaan which also becomes failure at box
office. After some box office flops, Vyjayanthimala soon signed alongside Rajendra Kumar in the swashbuckler ruritanian romance Suraj. Directed by T. Prakash Rao, the film also had Mumtaz, Bharathi
Vishnuvardhan and Neetu Singh. Suraj was huge box office success and was
one of the popular costume drama in Bollywood.[140] Suraj was the last successful film of
Rajendra Kumar and Shankar Jaikishan who introduced singer Sharda through this film.[141][142] According to Boxofficeindia.com, the
film grossed around 50,000,000 with nett gross
of 25,000,000 and becomes second highest
grossing film of 1966 with
verdict super hit at box office.[143] The film was also thirteenth highest
grossing film of the decade with its adjust to inflation nett gross is about 511800000 (US$8.5 million).[131] While Ibosnetwork.com reported that
the film 40,000,000 and its adjust
to inflation gross is about 504260000 (US$8.4 million).[144] Following Suraj, Vyjayanthimala starred
in thehistorical film Amrapali. Based on life of the Nagarvadhu (royal courtesan) of Vaishali, Amrapali, she played the title role
along with Sunil Dutt who enacted the role of King Ajatasatru. Upon release the film was
opened to widespread critical acclaim and was India's official submission for Academy
Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 39th Academy Awards.
The film was huge colossal flop which left Vyjayanthimala heartbroken where she
decided to quit the industry, though director Baldev Raj Chopra felt that she could have easily
continued for another decade in lead roles.[7]
50,000,000 with nett gross
of 25,000,000 and becomes second highest
grossing film of 1966 with
verdict super hit at box office.[143] The film was also thirteenth highest
grossing film of the decade with its adjust to inflation nett gross is about 511800000 (US$8.5 million).[131] While Ibosnetwork.com reported that
the film 40,000,000 and its adjust
to inflation gross is about 504260000 (US$8.4 million).[144] Following Suraj, Vyjayanthimala starred
in thehistorical film Amrapali. Based on life of the Nagarvadhu (royal courtesan) of Vaishali, Amrapali, she played the title role
along with Sunil Dutt who enacted the role of King Ajatasatru. Upon release the film was
opened to widespread critical acclaim and was India's official submission for Academy
Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 39th Academy Awards.
The film was huge colossal flop which left Vyjayanthimala heartbroken where she
decided to quit the industry, though director Baldev Raj Chopra felt that she could have easily
continued for another decade in lead roles.[7]
1967-70: Lost Interest in Films Post Amrapali
After Amrapali which was the biggest flop in her
career and some personal issues with co-stars, Vyjayanthimala lost interest in
films. In 1967, she was signed in Tapi Chanakya'sRam Aur Shyam which was a remake of 1964 Telugu film Ramudu
Bheemudu. She co-starred Dilip Kumar for the seventh time who previously
had made some memorable films with her. However due to some misunderstanding
between Kumar and Vyjayanthimala, Vyjayanthimala was replaced by Waheeda
Rehman. The same year she starred in Vijay Anand's Jewel Thief after Saira Banu backed out of the project due to her
marriage with Dilip Kumar.[145] The crime
thriller reunited
Vyjayanthimala after a decade with her co-star Dev Anand after Amar Deep. Jewel Thief also had Ashok Kumar as the main antagonist with four more
female leads Tanuja, Helen, Anju Mahendru and Faryal. For the
first time she worked under Dev Anand's production house, the Navketan
Films after being
rejected by Tad
Danielewski for the
lead role in 1965 Hindi film Guide.[146] The success of Jewel Thief made Vyjayanthimala and Dev Anand a
hit pair.[83] Three decades later, Vyjayanthimala
was approached by Dev Anand for a role in the sequel of Jewel Thief,Return of Jewel Thief (1996), but she refused to act in the
film as she did not planned to make a comeback.[147] Subsequently, Vyjayanthimala's dance
number in "Hothon Pe Aisi Baat Main" sung by Lata
Mangeshkar becomes
huge hit where it was considered as one of the best dance number in Indian
cinema while being influential for the rises of other dance numbers such as
"Chamma Chamma" and "Sheila Ki
Jawani" from China Gate and Tees Maar
Khan respectively.[148][149] The same year she did the magnum opus Chhoti Si Mulaqat produced by Bengali actor Uttam Kumar.
Remake of 1954 Bengali film Agni Pariksha which had Uttam Kumar who reprises his
role in the Hindi version and Suchitra Sen in the lead. Unlike the original
version, Chhoti Si Mulaqat failed to create any box office record
and was declared as box office disaster. Her last release in the year is Hatey Bazarey with Ashok Kumar.
Inspired by Banaphool's novel with the same, the film
was directed by acclaimed director Tapan Sinha where Vyjayanthimala made her Bengali
cinema debut through the film.[150] She played the role of widowed young
women - Chhipli - who falls for a civil surgeon Doctor Anandi Mukheerjee. Upon
release the film received unanimously positive reviews where it was awarded
with the Best Feature Film Award at the 15th National Film Awards while Vyjayanthimala's performance
also appreciated by critics alike.[151] A review from Upperstall had mentioned that,
"Vyjayantimala, in her debut in Bengali films is extremely convincing as
the independent and vivacious tribal widow".[152] Similarly her singing in the song
"Shyam Tor Tore Tamal Tolay Boshe Thaki" along with singer Hemanta Mukherjee received her praises where it was
described as "pleasant surprise" in the same review.[152] Hatey Bazarey was also received well commercially
and was one of the successful Bengali film of 1960s.[152]
In 1968, Vyjayanthimala appeared in three big
budget film with high profile actors such as Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Rajendra
Kumar. Her first release in the year was Sunghursh,
directed by Mere Mehboob (1963) fame Harnam Singh Rawail. She
co-starred Dilip Kumar for the seventh and last time in her career with Balraj Sahni and Sanjeev Kumar in key roles. Originally offered to
actress Sadhana, the role later went to Vyjayanthimala
as the former suffers with her thyroid problem.[153] Reportedly she did not exchange a word
with Kumar while filming following their relationship broke up.[154] Vyjayanthimala's enactment of a
courtesan Laila-e-Aasma, she received positive feedback from the critics. Anuj
Kumar form The Hindu said that "Vyjayanthimala is
graceful as ever. In a film dominated by men, Rawail made sure she had a
substantial role. Her dances and Naushad’s lilting tunes come as a welcome
break to the sinewy tone imparted by Abrar Alvi and Gulzar’s dialogues".[155] The role fetched her Best Hindi
Actress Award at 25th Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards.[156] Sunghursh was followed by Saathi directed by C. V. Sridhar.
Remake of highly acclaimed Tamil film of 1961, Palum
Pazhamum, the film had Rajendra
Kumar and Simi Garewal replacing Sivaji
Ganesan and Sowcar Janaki respectively from the Tamil version
with Vyjyanthimala enacting the role originally portrayed by B. Saroja
Devi.[157] The same year she also co-starred with Dev Anand for the third time and last time in T. Prakash Rao's Duniya.[158] All her releases in 1968 did not enjoy
success at the box office. Duniya, Saathi and Sunghursh was named as tenth, eleventh and
twelfth highest grossing film of 1968respectively,
with the first two was labelled as average while the latter only managed to do
above average business at box office.[159] On the other hand, Duniya is considered as a hit film by some
critics and often included in the hit film list of Dev Anand.[158]
Films Refused
Post her retirement in films, Vyjayanthimala
was offered with many roles by big banners opposite leading actors of that
time. But she refused all those offers as she does not want to make a comeback.
In 1968, she was signed opposite Raj Kapoor in Mahesh Kaul's Sapno Ka
Saudagar, she refused the role which went to the debutante Hema Malini,
who become one of the biggest actress in Bollywood later.[160] However in 1975, Vyjayanthimala was
almost signed in Gulzar's Aandhi with Sanjeev Kumar but she backed out from the project as
the role resemble Indira Gandhi's
personal life.[161][162] Perhaps the most famous role that
Vyjayanthimala ever turned down was the 1975 crime-drama film Deewar. Inspired by 1961 film Ganga Jumna,
a Vyjayanthimala starer, the film was directed by Yash Chopra and features Amitabh
Bachchan andShashi Kapoor in the lead roles. She turned down the
role of a mother for the lead actors which later went to Nirupa Roy who attained popularity through
success of the film and later cast in similar roles.[163] Following that, she refused the
multi-starrer 1981 blockbuster film Kranti opposite Dilip Kumar with Manoj Kumar, Shashi Kapoor, Hema Malini, Shatrughan
Sinha, Parveen Babi, Sarika as the ensemble cast which was directed and produced by
Manoj Kumar himself.[7] Apart from Hindi films, she have also
refused the 1989 Tamil film Mappillai starring Rajinikanth.
As said by Rajinikanth who played the lead role in the film, "actor
Vyjayanthimala was first offered the role of mother-in-law in Maapilai which was a pivotal role, but she
refused the film even though the producer of the film Chiranjeevi come forward to give her huge salary,
she said that she does not want to play the role of antagonist opposite me and
will never agree to be part of fighting scene against me".[164] Following many films refused by
Vyjayanthimala, Dinesh Raheja from Rediffcommented
that "good money and pivotal roles notwithstanding[...]did not seem
alluring enough".[7]
Political career
Vyjayanthimala's political career was
initiated in 1984 when she contested in 1984 Tamil Nadu general election for the South Chennai constituency as the nominee of the Indian National Congress opposite Era Sezhiyan,
the leader of Janata Party and seasoned parliamentarian.[165] During the campaign, Sezhiyan took
provoking quotes such as "Send me to the Lok Sabha. Send her to R.R. Sabha
(an organisation promoting fine arts)"[165] to defeat Vyjayanthimala, ironically
she won the election with margin of about 48,000 votes where she gained 313,848
with percentage of 51.92%.[165] Subsequently, she debuted in the Lok Sabha,
the directly
elected lower house of the Parliament of India by the end of January 1985 with Amitabh
Bachchan.[166]
In 1989, Vyjayanthimala again had to face the 1989 Tamil Nadu general election,
this time she was opposed by Aladi Aruna of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.[165] She again beat her opposition by
nearly 12584 votes.[165] Later on 1993, she was nominated to
the Rajya Sabha,
the upper house of the Parliament of India for a six-year term.[19] In 1999, she has resigned from the
primary membership of the Indian National Congress party.[167] In her letter to the party's president Sonia Gandhi,
she included the reason for her resignation where she said that,
"painfully watching the party drifting from its avowed principles after
the deathof Rajiv Gandhi.
The party has lost touch with its grassroots and one can see day in and day out
that sincere party workers are being steadily ignored", she adds more,
"increasingly difficult to justify ourselves to the public and my
conscience does not allow me to stay in the party any longer".[167][168] Later she joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on 6 September 1999.[169][170]
Personal life
Relationships
In her hey-days, Vyjayanthimala was the
subject of many controversies.[171] Particularly her relationship with her
co-stars was often the subject in topic. In the early 1960s, Vyjayanthimala was
linked with Dilip Kumar, who has acted with her the
most compared to any other actress which resulted in great on-screen chemistry
between them.[172] While working for his home production Gunga Jumna (1961), it is said that Kumar
handpicked the shade of sari that Vyjayanthimala would wear in
every scene.[136] In addition to that, film historians
Bunny Reuben and Sanjit Narwekar have confirmed the Kumar &
Vyjayanthimala's affair where they had said that Vyjayanthimala was Kumar's
third love after Kamini Kaushal and Madhubala.[173]
In early 1960s, actor Raj Kapoor had commenced the filming of Sangam with Vyjayanthimala playing the female
lead along with Rajendra Kumar and Kapoor himself as male lead. The
filming took four years to finish. During this time Vyjayanthimala is said to
have been romantically involved with Kapoor and almost married him.[174][174] Initially, she was vexed with him and
kept him at a distance. However Kapoor did not give up over her attitude.[175] This incident had made Kapoor's wife
Krishna to move out of her husband’s house with their children. They checked
into Natraj Hotel in Mumbai and
stayed there for four and a half months as Krishna was disgusted with the
affair.[176]
Vyjayanthimala married Chamanlal Bali in
1968. After marriage, she gave up her acting career and moved to Chennai. They
have a son, Suchindra Bali. In 2007, she published her
autobiography, titled Bonding,
with Jyoti Sabarwal as co-writer.
Vyjayantimala Landmark Films
| Vyjayanthimala's Landmark Films | |||
| Year | Film | Actor | |
| 1 | |||
| 954 | Nagin | Pradeep Kumar | |
| 1955 | Devdas | Dilip Kumar | |
| 1956 | New Delhi | Kishore Kumar | |
| 1957 | Naya Daur | Dilip Kumar | |
| 1958 | Madhumati | Dilip Kumar | |
| 1958 | Sadhana | Sunil Dutt | |
| 1961 | Ganga Jamuna | Dilip Kumar | |
| 1964 | Sangam | Raj Kapoor, Rajendra Kumar | |
| 1967 | Jewel Thief | Dev Anand | |
Vyjayantimala filmography
As actor
|
Year
|
Film
|
Role
|
Cast
|
Director
Producer |
Language
|
Notes
|
|
1949
|
Mohana Shivashankaralingam
|
M. S. Draupadi, T. R. Ramachandran,
S. V. Sahasranamam, K. Sankarapani
|
Shot simultaneously withJeevitham
|
|||
|
1950
|
Mohini Sivashankara Lingeswara Prasad
|
Shot simultaneously withVazhkai
|
||||
|
Western dancer
|
A. S. A. Sami
|
Tamil
|
||||
|
1951
|
Lata
|
Karan Dewan, Pandari Bai
|
M. V. Raman
|
Remake of Vazhkai
|
||
|
1952
|
Prem Nath, Kuldip Kaur
|
Shanti Kumar
|
Hindi
|
|||
|
1953
|
Rani Mehra
|
M. V. Raman
|
Hindi
|
|||
|
1954
|
Rani
|
M. V. Raman
|
Tamil
|
Remake of Ladki
|
||
|
Rani
|
M. V. Raman
|
Telugu
|
Remake of Ladki
|
|||
|
Mala
|
Nandlal Jaswantlal
|
Hindi
|
||||
|
Asha
|
G. D. Venkatram
|
|||||
|
Mala
|
Kishore Kumar, Samson, Umakant, Jeevan, Bipin Gupta
|
Jayant Desai
|
Hindi
|
|||
|
1955
|
Yasmin
|
Suresh, Jayant, Rashid Khan
|
Hindi
|
|||
|
Veda
|
Hindi
|
|||||
|
Veena / Devi
|
Kishore Kumar, Dara Singh, Begum Para, Shammi
|
M. V. Raman
|
Hindi
|
|||
|
Hindi
|
||||||
|
Hindi
|
Filmfare
Award for Best Supporting Actress
Based on Devdas Dubbed in Russiaas Девдас |
|||||
|
1956
|
Princess ofRoopnagar
|
Nandlal Jaswantlal
|
Hindi
|
|||
|
Ratna
|
M. Sadiq
|
Hindi
|
Also known asSomewhere inDelhi
|
|||
|
Janaki Subramaniam
|
Kishore Kumar, Jabeen Jalil, Nana Palsikar
|
Mohan Segal
|
Hindi
|
Dubbed in Russiaas Индия
|
||
|
Rajkumari Vijaya
|
Sriram, Raja Sulochana, M. N. Rajam, J. P. Chandrababu, Helen, Sivaji Ganesan (Guest appearance), N. T. Rama Rao (Guest appearance), Gemini Ganesan (Guest appearance)
|
T. R. Raghunath
|
Tamil
|
Dubbed in Hindi asPiya Milan
|
||
|
Princess Mrinalla
|
Hindi
|
|||||
|
Sunil Dutt, Begum Para, Kanchanamala, Mukri, Jagdeep, Tun Tun
|
Hindi
|
|||||
|
Princess of Snake world
|
Pattanna
|
Hindi
|
Remake ofKanavaney Kankanda Deivam
|
|||
|
1957
|
Rajni
|
Dilip Kumar, Ajit, Chand Usmani, Jeevan
|
Hindi
|
Dubbed into Tamil as Pattaliyin Sabatham[3]
|
||
|
Pushpa
|
Balraj Sahni, Amiya Chakrabarty, Agha, Kamala Kumari, C. S. Dubey
|
Hindi
|
Last film of Amiya Chakrabarty
Completed by Nitin Bose[4] |
|||
|
Kalidas
|
Hindi
|
|||||
|
Nirmala
|
Kishore Kumar, Pran, Om Prakash, Lalita Pawar, Asha Parekh, Minoo Mumtaz
|
M. V. Raman
|
Hindi
|
Features one of the first rock and roll song inBollywood[5]
|
||
|
1958
|
Ashok Kumar, Johnny Walker,
Raja Sulochana, Shammi, Jagdish Sethi
|
Hindi
|
||||
|
Champabai
|
Hindi
|
|||||
|
Princess Mandakini
|
Gemini Ganesan, Padmini, P.S. Veerappa, Vijayakumari
|
Tamil
|
||||
|
Mandakini
|
Hindi
|
Remake ofVanjikottai
Valiban
|
||||
|
Madhumati / Madhavi / Radha
|
Hindi
|
Nominated-Filmfare
Award for Best Actress
Triple role India's official entry to the Oscars Dubbed in Russiaas Мадхумати |
||||
|
M. G. Ramachandran, Gemini Ganesan, Padmini, Savitri, Saroja Devi, M. N. Rajam, Nagesh
|
Tamil
|
Inspired by Kalki
Krishnamurthy'sPonniyin Selvan[6]
Shelved[7] |
||||
|
Aruna
|
Hindi
|
Remake of Amara Deepam
Dubbed in Russiaas Амардип |
||||
|
1959
|
Manju
|
Hindi
|
||||
|
Pradeep Kumar, Helen, Johnny Walker,
Shammi, Badri Prasad
|
S. Sadiq
|
Hindi
|
||||
|
Nirmala
|
Akkineni
Nageswara Rao, R. S. Manohar, E. V. Saroja, Madhuri Devi
|
M. V. Raman
|
Tamil
|
Remake of Aasha
|
||
|
1960
|
Princess Mrinalini
|
P. Rajamanickam
|
Tamil
|
|||
|
Kundhavi
|
Yoganand
|
Tamil
|
Inspired by Kalki
Krishnamurthy'sParthiban Kanavu[6]
|
|||
|
Manju
|
Tamil
|
Remake ofPaigham
|
||||
|
Hindi
|
||||||
|
Zarina
|
M. G. Ramachandran,
M. N. Rajam, T. R. Ramachandran, Helen
|
Tamil
|
Dubbed in Hindi asBaghdad
Dubbed in Telugu as Baghdad Kaja Thonga |
|||
|
1961
|
Shanthi
|
Tamil
|
First Tamil film shot in Jammu and Kashmir[8]
|
|||
|
Vasanthi
|
Raj Kapoor, Usha Kiran, Gemini Ganesan (Guest appearance)
|
Hindi
|
Remake of Kalyana Parisu
Also known as The Gift Dubbed in Russiaas Подарок |
|||
|
Dhanno
|
Dilip Kumar, Nasir Khan, Leela Chitnis, Helen
|
Hindi
|
Filmfare
Award for Best Actress
BFJA Award for Best Actress Dubbed in Russiaas Ганга и Джамна |
|||
|
Neena Bakshi
|
Hindi
|
|||||
|
1962
|
Nirmala 'Nimmo'
|
Amar Kumar
|
Hindi
|
|||
|
Sumathi
|
K. Shankar
|
Hindi
|
||||
|
Geeta / Dr. Vidya
|
Rajendra Bhatia
|
Hindi
|
||||
|
1963
|
Princess Rani Padmini of Chittor
|
Sivaji Ganesan, M. N. Nambiar, T. S. Balaiah, T. P. Muthulakshmi, Kumari
Kamala
|
Tamil
|
|||
|
1964
|
Beena
|
Hindi
|
||||
|
Radha
|
Raj Kapoor, Rajendra Kumar, Raj Mehra, Nana Palsikar, Iftekhar
|
Hindi
|
Filmfare
Award for Best Actress
First Indian film to be shot outside ofIndia andEurope[9][10] First technicolorfilm of Vyjayanthimala andRaj Kapoor[11] Dubbed in Russiaas Сангам |
|||
|
Karuna
|
Ashok Kumar, Manoj Kumar, Nirupa Roy, Shubha Khote, Anjali Devi, Lalita Pawar
|
Hindi
|
||||
|
Princess Sunita
|
Hindi
|
First Indian film to be shot outside of the 1.37:1 ratio
Shot in 1.85:1 ratio Dubbed in Russiaas Заговор |
||||
|
Mala
|
K. Amarnath
|
Hindi
|
||||
|
1965
|
Jyoti
|
R. C. Talwar
|
Hindi
|
|||
|
T. R.
Mahalingam, T. R. Royna Chandru
|
P. Neelakandan
|
Tamil
|
||||
|
1966
|
Hindi
|
Dubbed in Russiaas История двух сердец
|
||||
|
Hindi
|
India's official entry to the Oscars
Dubbed in Russiaas Амрапали |
|||||
|
Princess Anuradha Singh
|
Hindi
|
|||||
|
1967
|
Chhipli
|
Ashok Kumar, Ajitesh Bandopadhyay, Bhanu Bandopadhyay, Rudraprasad
Sengupta
|
||||
|
Roopa Choudhury
|
Alo Sircar
|
Hindi
|
Remake of Agni
Pariksha
|
|||
|
Shalini Devi Singh / Shalu
|
Dev Anand, Ashok Kumar, Tanuja, Helen, Faryal, Anju Mahendru
|
Hindi
|
Dubbed in Russiaas Похититель ценностей
|
|||
|
1968
|
Munni / Laila-E-Aasmaan
|
Harnam Singh Rawail
|
Hindi
|
BFJA Award for Best Actress
Dubbed in Russiaas Революция |
||
|
Shanti
|
Hindi
|
Remake of Palum Pazhamum
|
||||
|
Mala
|
Hindi
|
Dubbed in Russiaas Сын прокурора
|
||||
|
1969
|
Kavita
|
Bhappi Sonie
|
Hindi
|
Dubbed in Russiaas Только любовь
|
||
|
Princess Amrita
|
Hindi
|
|||||
|
1970
|
Parvati or Paro
|
Naresh Kumar
|
Hindi
|
Last film as actress
|
As choreographer
|
Year
|
Film
|
Cast
|
Director
|
Song
|
Language
|
Notes
|
|
1964
|
All song
|
|||||
|
Raj Kapoor
|
Main Kya Karoon Ram
|
As producer
|
Year
|
Film
|
Cast
|
Director
|
Music director
|
Language
|
Notes
|
|
1982
|
M. A. Kaja
|
Co-produce with Rajiyiammal
Released in January 14, 1982 |
As playback singer
|
Year
|
Film
|
Song
|
Co-singer(s)
|
Music Director
|
Language
|
Notes
|
|
1950
|
Mana Mansu Manasu
|
R. Sudarsanam
Pasupuleti Ramesh Naidu |
||||
|
Priyamaina Rani Mohini
|
Alternate title: Da Da Da
|
|||||
|
1964
|
Bol Radha Bol
|
Alternate title: Mere Man Ki Ganga
Listed at #1 on Binaca Geetmala annual list 1964 |
||||
|
1967
|
Cheye Thaki Cheye Thaki
|
|
Awards
|
||
List of awards and nominations received by
Vyjayanthimala
In addition of acting recognition,
Vyjayanthimala also receive some honors for her achievement in classical dance
where she was a trained Bharata Natyam dancer. Apart from
acting in film she was also occasionally perform her dance show in al over the India and abroad.
Acting Awards
The Apsara
Film & Television Producers Guild Awards is presented by the Bollywood film
industry to honour and recognize the professional excellence of their peers.
Vyjayanthimala has received one special award for her contribution for Bollywood film industry.
|
Year
|
Award
|
Result
|
Ref.
|
|
2012
|
Special Award
|
Won
|
Akkineni International Foundation Award
The ANR National Award is an annual award to recognize people
for their lifetime achievements and contributions to the Indian film industry.
The award was instituted in the honour of actor Akkineni Nageswara Raowhich
was equivalent to Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Vyjayanthimala had won the ANR National Award in 2008. She was selected by the 3
member of jury which include T. Subbarami Reddy, D. Ramanaidu and Boney Kapoor.[4] The
award carries 4 lakhs in cash, memento and citation.[5] She
receive the award from Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy,
the Chief
Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, the event was held at Jubilee Hills.
4 lakhs in cash, memento and citation.[5] She
receive the award from Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy,
the Chief
Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, the event was held at Jubilee Hills.|
Year
|
Award
|
Result
|
Ref.
|
|
2008
|
Won
|
Bengal Film Journalists' Association Award
The Bengal
Film Journalists' Association Awards is the oldest Association of Film
critics in India,
founded in 1937, by the inspiration and determination of the handful of
pioneers amongst the then thin section of scribes that were drawn to film
journalism with a lofty mission to serve the developing film journalism and
film industry. Vyjayanthimala had win two Best actress trophy in Hindi film
category.
|
Year
|
Award
|
Nominated work
|
Role
|
Result
|
Ref.
|
|
1961
|
Best Hindi Actress
|
Dhanno
|
Won
|
|
|
|
1968
|
Munni or Laila-E-Aasmaan
|
Bollywood
Movie Award
The Bollywood Movie Awards was an annual film award ceremony held
between 1999 and 2007 celebrating films and actors from the Bollywood film industry based in Mumbai, India.
Vyjayanthimala received the lifetime achievement award in 2005 for her
contribution to Hindi films.
|
Year
|
Award
|
Result
|
Ref.
|
|
2005
|
Lifetime Achievement Award
|
Won
|
FICCI
Living Legend
The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce
and Industry (FICCI) funds and supports many governmental and non-governmental
educational institutions across the country. Vyjayanthimala received the Living
Legend Award from the federation in recognition of her outstanding contribution
to the Indian entertainment industry.
|
Year
|
Award
|
Honouring body
|
Outcome
|
Ref.
|
|
2006
|
FICCI Living Legend
|
Won
|
Film Fans' Association Award
Vyjayanthimala won the Best Tamil Actress
Award (Second Prize) at the 1st Film Fans' Association Award for her debut film Vazhkai where she secured 1,676 votes.[15]
|
Year
|
Award
|
Nominated work
|
Role
|
Result
|
Ref.
|
|
1950
|
Best Tamil Actress Award
|
Mohana Shivashankaralingam
|
Runner-up
|
Filmfare
Award
The Filmfare Awards are
presented annually by The Times Group to
honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Hindi
language film industry of India. Vyjayanthimala has won four awards from five
nominations, including a Lifetime Achievement
Award for her
contribution in Bollywood.
She was the first person to decline the Filmfare Best Supporting
Actress Award for Devdas,
as she stated that the roles ofChandramukhi and Paro, essayed by Vyjayanthimala
and Suchitra Sen respectively,
were parallel and of equal importance. Vyjayanthimala
is fifth frequent winner of Best Actress Category with three awards, behind Nutan and Kajol with five wins, Meena Kumari and Madhuri Dixit with
four wins.
|
Year
|
Award
|
Nominated work
|
Role
|
Result
|
Ref.
|
|
Won
|
|
||||
|
Champabai / Rajani
|
|||||
|
1958
|
Madhumathi / Madhavi / Radha
|
Nominated
|
|||
|
Dhanno
|
Won
|
||||
|
Radha
|
|||||
International film festivals
Kalakar Awards[edit]
Kalakar Awards is recognized as one of the leading
awards ceremonies of East India. The brand Kalakar is all about
a vision and the relentless pursuit towards its success. The ceremony was
visioned by Shri Ashok Kalanauria. Vyjayanthimala has received the Lifetime
Achievement Award at the 10th Kalakar Awards.[27]
|
Year
|
Award
|
Result
|
Ref.
|
|
2002
|
Lifetime Achievement Award
|
Won
|
Stardust
Awards
The Stardust Awards are
presented by Stardust magazine. They are presented annually
to honour professional excellence in the Hindi language film industry of India.
Vyjayanthimala was honored with the "Pride of Film Industry Award"
for her contribution to Hindi cinema.[28]
|
Year
|
Award
|
Result
|
Ref.
|
|
2013
|
Pride of Film Industry Award
|
Won
|
Tamil Nadu State Film Award
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards are the most notable film awards
given for Tamil
films in India.
They are given annually to honour the best talents and provide encouragement
and incentive to the South
Indian film
industry by the Government of Tamil Nadu. The awards are decided
by a committee headed by a jury. Vyjayanthimala was bestowed with the Thyagaraja Bhagavathar Award for her contribution in Tamil
cinema.[30]The
award was instituted in the honour of actor M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar.
|
Year
|
Award
|
Result
|
Ref.
|
|
2001
|
Won
|
Classical Dance
·
1998 -
Nadabrahmam Award from Narada Gana Sabha
·
2002 -
Nrithya Rathnakara Award by Bhairavi Fine Arts Society during Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana at Cleveland, Ohio, United States[34]
·
2005 -
Sanskriti Kalashree Award from Sanskriti Organization[35]
·
2006 -
Gnana Kala Bharathi award from Bharat Kalachar for achievement in Bharata
Natyam[36]
·
2007 -
Kalaratna Mala Award at 38th annual Bhajan Samaroh[37]
·
2009 -
Yagnaraman Lifetime Achievement Award[38]
·
2010 -
Bharatha Kalai Arasi award from Sri Madhavi Natyalaya Institute[41]
·
2010 - E. Krishna Iyer Medal from Sruti Foundation for
her outstanding contributions to Bharatanatyam in a distinguished career spread
over seven decades[42]
·
2011 -
Naatya Padhmam award from Brahma Gana Sabha[43]
·
2011 -
Natya Kala Shikamani award from All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society and Apollo Hospitals[44]
·
2011 -
Shanmukhananda National Eminence Award from Shanmukhananda Hall[45]
·
2011 -
Vocational Service Awards Lifetime Achievement for Bharatanatyam from Rotary
Club of Chennai Towers[46]
·
2011 -
Lifetime Achievement Award from Kartik Fine Arts[47]
·
2012 -
Tagore Akademi Ratna by Sangeet Natak Akademi as a part of the ongoing commemoration of the 150th Birth Anniversary of Gurudev
Rabindranath Tagore for her significant contribution in the field of
performing arts[48]
National & international honors
·
2001 -
The Federation of Indo-American Associations of North California invited her to be Grand Marshal for auspices of the Indian Independence
Day on August 12 and 13 of 2001.[50]
·
2001 -
Lifetime achievement from The Federation of Indo-American Associations of North California at Silicon Valley
·
2003 -
Lifetime achievement from Amir Khusro Sangeet Academy for contribution to the
arts
·
|
Awards
|
||
·
References
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