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Sharmila Tagore
Sharmila T Lux-Award 2016.jpg
Tagore at an event for Lux in 2016
Born
Sharmila Tagore

(1944-12-08) 8 December 1944 (age 79)
Cawnpore, United Provinces, British India (present-day Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India)
Other names Begum Ayesha Sultana
Occupation Actress
Years active 1959–2010
2023–present
Spouse(s)
(m. 1968; died 2011)
Children Saif Ali Khan (son)
Saba Ali Khan (daughter)
Soha Ali Khan (daughter)
Family
  • Tagore family
  • Barua family
  • Pataudi family (by marriage)

Sharmila Tagore (also known as Begum Ayesha Sultana; born 8 December 1944) is an Indian actress primarily known for her work in Hindi and Bengali films. Regarded as one of Indian cinema's most accomplished actresses, Tagore is a recipient of two National Film Awards, a Filmfare Award, a Filmfare OTT Award and the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to Hindi cinema. In 2013, the Government of India, honoured her with Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian honour for her contributions to the Indian culture through performing arts.

Born into the prominent Tagore family, one of the leading families of Calcutta and a key influence during the Bengali Renaissance, Tagore made her acting debut at age 14 with Satyajit Ray's acclaimed Bengali epic drama The World of Apu (1959). She went on to collaborate with Ray on numerous other films, including Devi (1960), Nayak (1966), Aranyer Din Ratri (1970), and Seemabaddha (1971); thus establishing herself as one of the most prominent figures in Bengali cinema.

Tagore's career further expanded when she ventured into Hindi films, making her debut with Shakti Samanta's musical romance Kashmir Ki Kali (1964). She went on to establish herself as one of the leading actresses of Hindi cinema with films like Waqt (1965), Anupama (1966), An Evening in Paris (1967), Aamne Saamne (1967), Satyakam (1969), Aradhana (1969), Safar (1970), Amar Prem (1972), Daag (1973), Avishkaar (1974), Chupke Chupke (1975), Mausam (1975), and Namkeen (1982). She won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for Aradhana and the National Film Award for Best Actress for Mausam. This was followed by a decade of intermittent film appearances including Mira Nair's Mississippi Masala (1991), Goutam Ghose's Abar Aranye (2002), and the Hindi films Aashik Awara (1993), Mann (1999), Viruddh (2005), Eklavya: The Royal Guard (2007), and Break Ke Baad (2010). Following a hiatus of 13 years, she made her film comeback with the drama Gulmohar (2023) for which she won the Best Actress Critics: Film at 2023 Filmfare OTT Awards.

Apart from acting, Tagore has also served as the chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification from October 2004 to March 2011. In December 2005, she was chosen as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. She was married to cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi with whom she had three children—actors Saif, and Soha, and jewellery designer Saba.

Early life and background

Sharmila Tagore was born on 8 December 1944 in Cawnpore (now Kanpur), United Provinces to Gitindranath Tagore, a general manager in the British India Corporation, and his wife Ira Tagore (née Baruah). Tagore's father belonged to the aristocratic Bengali Hindu Tagore family, and were distantly related to the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, while her mother was of Assamese Hindu descent and hailed from the Barua family. Gitindranath was the grandson of the noted painter Gaganendranath Tagore, whose own father Gunendranath had been a first cousin of the laureate. In fact, Tagore is more closely related to Rabindranath Tagore through her mother: her maternal grandmother, Latika Barua (née Tagore), was the granddaughter of Rabindranath Tagore's brother, Dwijendranath Tagore. Tagore's maternal grandfather (husband of Latika Barua née Tagore) was Jnanadabhiram Barua, an Assamese who was the first principal of Earl Law College in Guwahati (now known as Government Law College), himself the son of the noted social worker Gunabhiram Barua. As a member of the Tagore family, she is also a distant relative of the actress Devika Rani and the painter Abanindranath Tagore (brother of Gaganendranath Tagore).

Tagore was the eldest of three children and had two younger sisters, the late Oindrila Kunda [Tinku Tagore] and Romila Sen [Chinky]. Oindrila was the first in the family to act in a film, and the only role she ever played was that of Mini, the child character (but a central character) in Tapan Sinha's film Kabuliwala (1957). In adulthood, she became an international bridge player. Her other sister, Romila Sen, married to Nikhil Sen, a businessman who served as chief operating officer of Britannia Industries for several years, died as the founder and managing director of Unibic Foods in November 2019.

Tagore attended St. John's Diocesan Girls' Higher Secondary School and Loreto Convent, Asansol. She made her film debut when she was a 13-year-old schoolgirl, after which her studies lost priority. Within a short while, her attendance and performance at school suffered, she came to be regarded as a bad influence on her classmates, and was faced with a choice of either doing films or studying further. At that point, her father advised her to move ahead in life, commit herself to a film career and 'give it her all' in order to become successful.

Career

Career beginnings and breakthrough (1959-1968)

Ms. Sharmila Tagore, actress and Shri Saumitra Chatterjee, actor at the presentation of the film ‘Apur Sansar’, during the 40th International Film Festival (IFFI-2009), at Panaji, Goa on November 30, 2009 (1)
Tagore with Soumitra Chatterjee at Apur Sansar presentation

Tagore began her career as an actress in Satyajit Ray's Bengali epic drama Apur Sansar (1959), as an ill-fated bride. In 1960, Ray cast her again in Devi, a film set in 1860 on Hindu orthodoxy and rational reforms, which she considers her favourite film and performance. She went onto appear in Bengali films Shes Anko and Nirjan Saikate, winning the IFFI Best Actor Award (Female) for the latter.

Tagore made her Hindi film debut with Shakti Samanta's musical romance Kashmir Ki Kali (1964) alongside Shammi Kapoor. She and Samanta collaborated on several of his later films, including the romantic thriller An Evening in Paris (1967) again opposite Kapoor. ..... She also posed in a bikini for the cover of Filmfare magazine in 1966. But, when she was the chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification 36 years later, she expressed concerns about the increased use of bikinis in Indian films.

Tagore went on to appear in films such as the Hindi films Waqt (1965), Anupama (1966), Devar (1966), Aamne Saamne (1967), Mere Hamdam Mere Dost (1968), and the Bengali film Nayak (1966). Her performance in Anupama, opposite Dharmendra, proved to be her breakthrough.

Widespread acclaim and stardom (1969-1980)

The 1970's marked the most successful period of Tagore's career with a string of critical and commercial successes, with her pairing with Rajesh Khanna being particularly praised and noted. The Tagore-Khanna pair yielded several successful films, most notably the romantic dramas Aradhana (1969), Safar (1970), Chhoti Bahu (1971), Amar Prem (1972), Raja Rani (1973), Daag: A Poem of Love (1973) and Avishkaar (1974), and the spiritual drama Maalik (1972). All these films established her as one of the leading actresses of the time, in addition to establishing the Tagore-Khanna pair as one of the greatest best on-screen pairs of Indian cinema. Aradhana, Safar and Amar Prem earned Tagore nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress, winning the award for the former.

During this period, Tagore also worked with Uttam Kumar in several films, including Nayak, and the bilingual dramas Amanush (1975), Anand Ashram (1977) and Dooriyaan (1979).

She headlined Gulzar's musical romance Mausam (1975) alongside Sanjeev Kumar, which earned her the National Film Award for Best Actress, and her fourth nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress.

She starred opposite Dharmendra in seven critical and commercial successes – Devar, Anupama, Mere Hamdam Mere Dost, Satyakam (1969), Yakeen (1969), Chupke Chupke (1975), Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka (1975).

She also worked alongside Amitabh Bachchan in Chupke Chupke, Faraar (1975) and Besharam (1978), opposite Shashi Kapoor in Aa Gale Lag Jaa (1973) and Paap Aur Punya (1974).

Tagore's other films during this period included Ek Se Badhkar Ek (1976), Tyaag (1977), which she also co-produced, and the Malayalam film Chuvanna Chirakukal (1978) among others.

Further success and sporadic work (1981-2006)

In the 1980s, Tagore appeared in films such as Kalankini Kankabati (1981), Namkeen (1982), New Delhi Times (1986) and Maa Beti (1986). She reunited with frequent co-star Dharmendra in the action film Sunny (1984), which starred Dharmendra's son Sunny Deol in the lead role. Her performance in the film earned her a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Tagore played pivotal roles in the Bengali action film Protidan (1983) opposite Naseeruddin Shah, and Mira Nair's interracial romantic drama Mississippi Masala (1991). She also appeared in supporting roles in Ghar Bazar (1998) and Mann (1999).

During this period, she also appeared in two television shows, Katha Sagar (1986) for DD National and Zindagi (1999) for Star Plus.

Tagore starred alongside her son Saif Ali Khan in his debut film Aashik Awara (1993) and the action drama Eklavya: The Royal Guard (2007), receiving critical praise for the latter. She also appeared in supporting roles in the musical romantic drama Dhadkan (2000) and the drama Abar Aranye (2003), the latter of which earned her the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Tagore received high critical acclaim for her performance in the family drama Virruddh... Family Comes First (2005) alongside frequent co-star Bachchan, earning her fifth nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. Planet Bollywood noted, "Tagore, shines in a role tailor-made for her."

Intermittent work, hiatus and comeback (2007-present)

From 2007 to 2009, Tagore appeared in films such as Fool & Final (2007), Tasveer 8*10 (2009), Antaheen (2009) and the Marathi film Samaantar (2009). In 2009, Tagore became the jury member at the main competition of the 62nd Cannes Film Festival. In 2010, she played a supporting role in the romantic comedy-drama Break Ke Baad, which earned her critical acclaim, for which DNA India noting that, "Tagore pitches in with a strong performance." This was followed by a hiatus from acting.

Tagore made her comeback after a 13 year hiatus with the drama Gulmohar (2023), which released on Disney+ Hotstar. The film earned her critical acclaim, with the Hindustan Times noting that, "The elegance and poise Tagore exudes are remarkable. Her dialogue delivery, gestures, body language, emotions, everything looks just so effortless even after a long hiatus." India Today also opined that, "Tagore is always a joy to watch on screen. And, what a comeback!"

Tagore is also set to make her comeback to Bengali films after 14 years with Suman Ghosh's Puratawn.

Personal life

Soha Ali Khan Sharmila Tagore still1
Tagore with her daughter Soha at the premiere of Khoya Khoya Chand

Tagore converted to Islam, changed her name to Begum Ayesha Sultana, and married Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, the titular Nawab of Pataudi and Bhopal and former captain of the Indian cricket team, on 27 December 1968. They had three children: Bollywood actorSaif Ali Khan (b. 1970); Saba Ali Khan (b. 1976), a jewellery designer; and Soha Ali Khan (b. 1978), a Bollywood actress and TV personality. Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi died at age 70 on 22 September 2011.

From 1991 to 2004, Saif was married to actress Amrita Singh. They have two children, daughter Sara Ali Khan (b. 1995), an actress, and son Ibrahim Ali Khan (b. 2001). His second marriage was to actress Kareena Kapoor in 2012 with whom he has two sons, Taimur Ali Khan (b. 2016) and Jahangir Ali Khan (b. 2021). Soha married actor Kunal Khemu in 2015, and has a daughter Inaaya Naumi Khemmu (b. 2017).

Filmography

Key
Films that have not yet been released Denotes films that have not yet been released
Year Title Role Language Notes Ref.
1959 Apur Sansar Aparna Bengali Film debut
1960 Devi Doyamoyee Bengali
1963 Shes Anko Mala Bengali
Nirjan Saikate Renu Bengali Won - IFFI Best Actor Award (Female)
Barnali Aloka Choudhury Bengali
Chhaya Shurjo Ghentoo Bengali
1964 Subha O Debatar Gras Bengali
Kinu Gowalar Gali Neera Bengali
Kashmir Ki Kali Champa Hindi Hindi film debut
1965 Waqt Renu Khanna Hindi
Dak Ghar Herself Hindi Guest appearance
1966 Anupama Uma Sharma Hindi
Devar Madhumati/Banwariya Hindi
Sawan Ki Ghata Seema Hindi
Nayak Aditi Bengali
Yeh Raat Phir Na Aayegi Kiran/Kiranmai Hindi
1967 Milan Ki Raat Aarti Hindi
An Evening in Paris Deepa /Roopa (Suzy) Hindi Double role
Aamne Saamne Sapna Hindi
1968 Mere Hamdam Mere Dost Anita Hindi
Humsaya Leena Sen Hindi
Dil Aur Mohabbat Anuradha Verma Hindi
1969 Yakeen Rita Hindi
Satyakam Ranjana Hindi
Talash Madhu/Gauri Hindi
Aradhana Vandhana Tripathi Hindi-Bengali bilingual Won - Filmfare Award for Best Actress
Pyasi Sham Madhu Hindi
1970 Aranyer Din Ratri Aparna Bengali
Suhana Safar Sapna Hindi
Mere Humsafar Taruna/Meenakshi Hindi
My Love Sangeeta Thakur Hindi
Safar Neela Kapoor Hindi Nominated - Filmfare Award for Best Actress
1971 Seemabaddha Tutul Bengali
Chhoti Bahu Radha Hindi
Badnam Farishte Lawyer Renu Hindi Guest appearance
1972 Amar Prem Pushpa Hindi Nominated - Filmfare Award for Best Actress
Dastaan Meena Hindi
Yeh Gulistan Hamara Soo Reni Hindi
Maalik Savitri Hindi
1973 Raja Rani Nirmala / Rani Hindi Double role
Daag Sonia Kohli Hindi
Aa Gale Lag Jaa Preeti Hindi
1974 Shaandaar Pratima Hindi
Avishkaar Mansi Hindi
Paap Aur Punya Jugni Hindi
Charitraheen Rama Chaudhary Hindi
Shaitaan Nisha Hindi
Jadu Bansha Mala Bengali
1975 Mausam Chanda/Kajli Hindi Won National Film Award for Best Actress
Nominated Filmfare Award for Best Actress
Anari Poonam Hindi
Chupke Chupke Sulekha Chaturvedi Hindi
Faraar Mala/Asha Hindi
Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka Aruna Hindi
Amanush Lekha Bengali-Hindi bilingual
Khushboo Lakhi Hindi
1976 Ek Se Badhkar Ek Rekha Hindi
Do Shatru Rajkumari/Kaali Hindi
1977 Anand Ashram Asha Bengali-Hindi bilingual
Tyaag Sunita Hindi Also co-producer
1978 Besharam Rinku / Monica Hindi
1979 Chuvanna Chirakukal Savitri Malayalam Malayalam film debut
Dooriyaan Lalita Hindi
Griha Pravesh Mansi Hindi
Mother Bengali
1981 Kalankini Kankabati Aparna/Kanka Bengali Double role
Naseeb Herself Hindi Guest appearance
1982 Namkeen Nimki Hindi
Desh Premee Bharti Hindi
1983 Protidan Gouri Bengali
Gehri Chot – Urf: Durdesh Shobha Bengali-Hindi bilingual
Doosri Dulhan Renu Hindi
1984 Sunny Sitara Hindi
Jawaani Sushma Hindi
Divorce Chandra Hindi
Milenge Kabhi Hindi
1985 Ek Se Bhale Do Mary D'Mello Hindi
Bandhan Anjana Hindi
1986 New Delhi Times Nisha Hindi
Maa Beti Savitri Hindi
Swati Sharda Hindi
Ricky Advocate Rukmini Khanna Hindi
1987 7 Saal Baad Nisha Hindi
1988 Anurodh Jaya / Maya Bengali
Hum To Chale Pardes Trishna Hindi Guest appearance
1989 Doorie Nisha Hindi
1991 Mississippi Masala Kinnu English English film debut
Dastoor Mohini Devi Hindi
1993 Aashiq Awara Mrs. Singh Hindi
1998 Ghar Bazar Hindi Delayed release
1999 Mann Suhana Devi Singh Hindi
2000 Dhadkan Jhanvi Ranjan Chopra Hindi
2002 Abar Aranye Aparna Bengali Won - National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress
2003 Shubho Mahurat Padmini Chowdhury Bengali
2005 Viruddh... Family Comes First Sumitra Patwardhan Hindi Nominated - Filmfare Award for Best Actress
2006 Eklavya: The Royal Guard Rani Suhasini Devi Hindi
2007 Fool & Final Lajwanti Bhabhi Hindi
2009 Antaheen Pishima Bengali
Tasveer 8*10 Savitri Puri Hindi
Morning Walk Neelima Hindi
Samaantar Shama Vaze Marathi Marathi film debut
2010 Break Ke Baad Ayesha Khan Hindi
2023 Gulmohar Kusum Batra Hindi Disney+ Hotstar film
2024 Puratawn Not yet released TBA Bengali Filming

Television

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1986 Katha Sagar Various
1999–2000 Zindagi Kamal's warden

Music video

Year Title Performer(s) Ref.
1988 Mile Sur Mera Tumhara Various

Accolades

The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee presenting the Padma Bhushan Award to Smt. Sharmila Tagore, at an Investiture Ceremony, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on April 05, 2013
Tagore receiving Padma Bhushan from President, Pranab Mukherjee

Civilian award

Year Award Work Result Ref.
2013 Padma Bhushan Contribution in the field of Arts Honoured

Acting awards

Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
1965 3rd International Film Festival of India Best Actor (Female) Nirjan Saikate Won
1970 17th Filmfare Awards Best Actress Aradhana Won
1971 18th Filmfare Awards Safar Nominated
1973 20th Filmfare Awards Amar Prem Nominated
1976 23rd National Film Awards Best Actress Mausam Won
1977 24th Filmfare Awards Best Actress Nominated
1985 32nd Filmfare Awards Best Supporting Actress Sunny Nominated
2003 51st National Film Awards Best Supporting Actress Abar Aranye Won
2006 51st Filmfare Awards Best Actress Viruddh Nominated
12th Screen Awards Best Actress Nominated
2023 2023 Filmfare OTT Awards Best Actress in a Film: Critics Gulmohar Won
Best Actress (Web Original Film) Nominated

Other awards

Year Award Category Result Ref.
1998 43rd Filmfare Awards Lifetime Achievement Award Honoured
2002 Screen Awards Lifetime Achievement Award Honoured
2010 Anandalok Puraskar Lifetime Achievement Award Honoured
2011 12th IIFA Awards Outstanding Achievement in Indian Cinema Won
Lifetime Achievement Award Honoured
2019 Hello! Hall of Fame Award Lifetime Achievement Award Honoured
Vogue Beauty Awards Beauty Legend Won
2023 Bimal Roy Memorial Awards Lifetime Achievement Award Honoured

Honours and recognitions

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Sharmila Tagore para niños

  • List of Indian film actresses
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