Sharmila Tagore, the Kashmir Ki Kali of Bollywood, hails from the prestigious Tagore family. The Tagore family, as is known, is rich in literature, culture and performing arts. Sharmila stepped into the acting industry at the age of 13. As a teenage newbie, Tagore was desperately trying to carve her own space and identity in the film industry. No one in her family, except her elder sister, Oindrilla had a filmi background. Her sister played the role of young Mini in Tapan Sinha’s Kabuliwala in 1957.
Starting from Bengali Cinema to Hindi cinema, Sharmila Tagore throughout her acting journey achieved many milestones with her unconventional and adventurous self. On her 78th birth anniversary, let’s revisit her iconic showbiz era.
Early Life: Sharmila Tagore Didn’t Quite Enjoy Studying
Sharmila Tagore was born on 8th December in 1944 in Hyderabad to parents Ira Baruah who was an Assamese and Gitindranath Tagore, who was a Bengali. This way, Sharmila was half Assamese and half Bengali. Sharmila did her schooling from Loreto Convent, West Bengal and St. John’s Diocesan Girls’ Higher Secondary School, West Bengal. However, Sharmila was never into studies. Her constant low attendance and mediocre grades were a proof of that. Fortunately, she received a film offer at the age of 13, and her father herself advised Sharmila to prioritize her film career.
Sharmila played her first acting role of ‘Aparna’ in Satyajit Ray’s ‘Apu Sansar’. In an interview, Sharmila shared that the movie made her realise how much she loves acting, and it is acting that she wants to pursue further.
Stepping Into Limelight of Bollywood
The 1964 romance drama film, ‘Kashmir Ki Kali’ proved a big breakthrough for Sharmila Tagore. The film showcased Sharmila’s passionate and brilliant acting which won the hearts of many. It proved her bright future in the film industry further and amassed great expectations from the viewers for her future films. In 1967, in the film ‘An Evening In Paris’, Sharmila wore a bikini for one of the scenes. During that time, it was a big deal and had mixed reactions from the public. A year later, in 1968, she did an entire shoot in bikini for the Filmfare Magazine. This was yet again a vey bold and unconventional move in that era. The conservative society didn’t quite give the best reactions which certainly did upset her. In 2021, in an interview with Film Companion, Sharmila shared that people still didn’t let her forget her 1968 bikini shoot. She also said, “Maybe, there was an exhibitionist in me, as I was young and excited to do something different.”
Some of her other famous movies have been Aradhna, Safar, Amar Prem, Chhoti Bahu, Daag, Raja Rani, Avishkaar, Devar and Anupama. Her box office hits made her the highest paid actress in Bollywood in the 1970s.
In 1965, during the peak of her career, Sharmila met Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, the former captain of the Indian cricket team, at an after-match party. They dated for four years and finally tied the knot in 1969. The pair had a son and two daughters, two of whom are successful Bollywood actors: Saif Ali Khan, Saba Ali Khan and Soha Ali Khan.
Later Life And Achievements
Sharmila Tagore has been awarded several prestigious titles and national awards for her immense contribution to the film industry. She was awarded the Filmfare Best Actress Award in 1969 and in 1997, she was awarded the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award.
After retiring from the showbiz culture, Sharmila was involved in other projects. For starters, she was the head of the Indian Film Censor Board from October 2004 to March 2011. In 2005, she was also chosen as the Goodwill Ambassador of the UNICEF, particularly for the rights of children with HIV/AIDS.
