Friday 25 December 2015

indian Mona Lisa is no more

Indian Mona Lisa is no more


Sadhana Shivdasani Born
2 September 1941 (age 74)

Died-25/12/2015
Karachi, Sindh, British India
Residence Santacruz, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Nationality Indian
Occupation Actress
Years active 1958–1978
Spouse(s) R. K. Nayyar (1966–d.1995)
Sadhana Shivdasani (Sindhi: ساڌنا شوداساڻي)(born 2 September 1941[1]), better known mononymously das Sadhana, is an Indian actress who was one of the top stars in the 1960s and the early 1970s.

Early life

Born in a Sindhi family[2] in Karachi, British India, Shivdasani was named after her father's favorite actress-dancer Sadhana Bose. Her father was the brother of actor Hari Shivdasani, father of actress Babita.

The family fled from Karachi during the post-Partition riots and settled in Mumbai. Her mother home-schooled her until she was 8 years old after which she studied at Auxilium Convent, Wadala and Jai Hind College.[3]

Career

Beginning
Sadhana aspired to be an actress since childhood. Her father helped her enter films. In 1955 she played a chorus girl in the song "Mur mur ke na dekh mur mur ke" in Raj Kapoor's Shree 420.[4][5] When she was 15 years old, she was approached by some producers who had seen her act in a college play. They cast her in India's first Sindhi film titled Abaana (1958), where she played the role of Sheila Ramani's younger sister.[4] She was paid a token amount of 1 rupee.[citation needed]

A photograph of her publicizing the film appeared in a movie magazine Screen. It was then that Sashadhar Mukherjee, one of Hindi cinema's major producers at that time, noticed her. She joined Mukherjee's acting school along with her debutant co-star Joy Mukherjee, Sashadhar’s son. R. K. Nayyar, who had previously worked as assistant director on few films, directed this film. He also created her trademark look, called Sadhana cut, inspired from Hollywood actress Audrey Hepburn.[4][6] The Filmalaya Production banner thus introduced Joy, Sadhana and her iconic hairstyle in their 1960 romantic film Love in Simla. The film was declared a hit at the box office and was listed in the top 10 films of 1960.[7] Sadhana played the role of a simple, bespectacled girl who is transformed by her grandmother into a beautiful woman and encouraged to pursue the hero. In the film, Sadhana wins a beauty contest and is awarded a three-year film contract with Filmalaya, which was the case in real life too. During this period she would again work under the same banner opposite Joy in Ek Musafir Ek Haseena.[8]

Breakthrough

Alongside Love in Simla, Sadhana was signed by acclaimed director Bimal Roy for his satirical film on Indian democracy, Parakh. She portrayed a simple village girl in this multi-award-winning film. In 1961's other hit[9] Hum Dono she played the love interest of Dev Anand. This black-and-white film was colourized and re-released in 2011. In the film's review one of the website rwrites about Sadhana; "Her eyes, expressive and captivating, do most of the work, while she balances out her submissiveness with a firm tongue."[10] The Rafi – Asha duet "Abhi Na Jaao Chodkar" remains evergreen. In 1962, she was again paired with Dev Anand in Asli-Naqli by director Hrishikesh Mukherjee. The same year saw director-screenwriter Raj Khosla cast her opposite Joy in his musical film Ek Musafir Ek Hasina. Khosla would again work with Shivdasani to make their famous suspense thriller trilogy.

In 1963, Shivdasani played her first role in a technicolour film Mere Mehboob directed by H.S.Rawail. The film was the "Blockbuster" of 1963[11] and ranked in the top 5 films of the 1960s.[12] The scene where Rajendra Kumar encounters Shivdasani for the first time and sees her eyes through her burqa stands as one of the most remarkable scenes of Hindi film industry. Notable actor Danny Denzongpa describes the visage of Sadhana in a burqa with just her eyes visible as "unforgettable."[4]

Shivdasani in 1964 played her remarkable double role in the first of the suspense-thriller trilogy, Woh Kaun Thi?. This white-sari-clad performance opposite Manoj Kumar earned her first Filmfare nomination as Best Actress. Through this role she got to be part of Lata Mangeshkar – Madan Mohan’s all time classics like "Naina Barse" and "Lag Ja Gale". One known website called her a show-stopper "with an intriguing Mona Lisa-like smile".[13] The film was a box office "Hit".[14] Raj Khosla cast her in two more mystery films, Mera Saaya (1966) and Anita (1967) thus making her famous as the "Mystery girl". Mera Saaya, a box office "Super Hit"[15] courtroom drama film again saw her playing a double role, now opposite Sunil Dutt. The song "Jhumka Gira Re" sung by Asha Bhosle and composed by Madan Mohan saw Shivdasani perform dance steps choreographed by Saroj Khan. Khan was then an assistant to dance director Sohanlal. The song became so popular that excited audience in cinema halls used to throw coins at the screen.[16] The film also had the classic songs "Naino Mein Badara Chhaye" and the haunting theme song "Tu Jaha Jaha Chalega, Mera Saaya Sath Hoga", both voiced by Lata Mangeshkar.

Shivdasani got her second Filmfare nomination as Best Actress for the role of Meena in Yash Chopra's directorial saga Waqt (1965). She stood out in Bollywood’s first ever ensemble cast by bringing along the fashion of tight chudidar-kurtas.[4][17] The film proved to be 1965’s "Blockbuster".[18]

Later work

Sadhana (first from right) with Helen, Waheeda Rehman and Nanda in 2010
Sadhana had health issues due to her thyroid, which she got treated at a hospital in Boston. After returning from the US, she starred in the successful movies Intaquam (1969), Ek Phool Do Mali (1969), and Geeta Mera Naam (1974), which she also directed.

In Intaquam she played the role of a woman who allures the son of her own boss who cheated her to be put behind the bars for a crime he did not commit, for revenge.[19]

After that, she retired from acting as she did not want to be cast as a side-actress or do character roles.[4] Later, she and her husband formed a production company. She also directed a movie starring Dimple Kapadia in 1989.[20]

Personal life

Sadhana married her Love in Simla director Ram Krishna Nayyar on 7 March 1966.[16] Their love blossomed on the film set. But as she was very young then, her parents opposed it. They were married for nearly thirty years, until his death in 1995 from asthma. The couple had no children. She suffered from a disorder of her eyes due to hyperthyroidism. After her retirement, she has refused to be photographed simply because she wants to be remembered the way she was.[6] Living in Santacruz, Mumbai, she is a tenant in an apartment building owned by singer Asha Bhosle.[21] In 2013, she stated that she doesn't keep in touch with her cousin Babita but does keep in touch with actresses Asha Parekh, Waheeda Rehman, Nanda (actress) (who passed away in 2014), and Helen Jairag Richardson.[22]



Filmography

Year Movie Role Note
1955 Shree 420[4] Chorus girl Cameo role in the song "Mur mur ke na dekh mur mur ke"
1958 Abana[4] First Sindhi film
1960 Love in Simla[4] Sonia
1960 Parakh[4] Seema
1961 Hum Dono[4] Mita
1962 Prem Patra[4] Kavita Kapoor
1962 Man-Mauji Rani
1962 Ek Musafir Ek Hasina[4] Asha
1962 Asli-Naqli Renu
1963 Mere Mehboob[4] Husna Banu Changezi
1964 Woh Kaun Thi?[4] Sandhya / Seema (Double Role) Nominated: Filmfare Award for Best Actress
1964 Rajkumar[4] Princess Sangeeta
1964 Picnic
1964 Dulha Dulhan Rekha / Chanda
1965 Waqt[4] Meena Mittal Nominated: Filmfare Award for Best Actress
1965 Arzoo[4] Usha
1966 Mera Saaya[4] Geeta / Nisha (Raina) (Double Role)
1966 Gaban Jalpa
1966 Budtameez Shanta
1967 Anita[4] Anita
1968 Stree Oriya film
1969 Sachaai Shobha Dayal
1969 Intaquam[4] Reeta Mehra
1969 Ek Phool Do Mali[4] Somna
1970 Ishq Par Zor Nahin Sushma Rai
1971 Aap Aye Bahaar Ayee Neena Bakshi
1972 Dil Daulat Duniya Roopa
1973 Hum Sab Chor Hain
1972 Geeta Mera Naam[4] Kavita / Neeta / Geeta (Double Role) also directed
1974 Chhote Sarkar
1974 Vandana
1975 Amaanat Suchitra
1981 Mehfil Shalini / Ratnabai (Double Role) Delayed Release
1994 Ulfat Ki Nayee Manzeelein Delayed release
References

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