Vyjayanthimala filmography
Vyjayanthimala (born 13 August 1933) is an Indian actress, Bharatanatyam dancer, Carnatic singer, dance choreographer and parliamentarian. She was the highest-paid actress of her time. Regarded as the "first female superstar" of Indian cinema, she made her debut in the Tamil language film Vaazhkai in 1949 at the age of 16 and in the Telugu language film Jeevitham in 1950. She later became one of the most prominent actresses of South Indian cinema and of the golden era of Hindi cinema and is also known as one of the most iconic leading actresses of all time. Later, Vyjayanthimala acted in the Bollywood movies Bahar and Ladki. Following the success of Nagin, Vyjayanthimala established herself as one of Bollywood's leading actresses while making inroads in successful Tamil and Telugu films. After successfully establishing herself as a commercial actress, Vyjayanthimala appeared in Devdas, playing Chandramukhi, the hooker 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 hers was not a supporting role, becoming the first person to refuse a Filmfare Award. Following that, Vyjayanthimala appeared in a 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 Awards for Best Actress for Sadhna and Madhumati and won the award for the former. At this point, Vyjayanthimala made a comeback to Tamil films, where she tasted commercial success with Vanjikottai Vaaliban, 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 speaks the Awadhi dialect. Critics applauded her performance, while some labeled it her best to date. She won her second Filmfare Award for Best Actress for her role in Ganga Jumna. Beginning in 1962, most of her films performed either averagely or poorly at the box office. However, in 1964, with the success of Sangam, her career hit its peak again. She reinvented herself by playing a modern Indian girl appearing in revealing costumes and a one-piece swimsuit. She went on to receive her third Best Actress Award at the 12th Filmfare Awards for her role as Radha in Sangam. She later achieved critical acclaim for her performance in the historical drama Amrapali, which was based on the life of nagarvadhu Amrapali, the royal courtesan of Vaishali. The film received universal acclaim, but it was a huge box office failure, which left Vyjayanthimala, who had huge expectations of the film, disenchanted to the point where she decided to quit films. Towards the end of her career, Vyjayanthimala was mostly seen in commercially successful films such as Suraj, Jewel Thief and Prince with a few critically acclaimed films such as Hatey Bazarey and Sunghursh. Most of them were released after Vyjayanthimala left the film industry (a total of app. 65 films).
Filmography
[edit]As an actress
[edit]| Year | Film | Role | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | Vazhkai | Mohana Shivashankaralingam | Tamil | On-screen debut & Tamil debut |
| 1950 | Jeevitham | Mohini Sivashankara Lingeswara Prasad | Telugu | Shot simultaneously in original Tamil as Vaazhkai and also, Telugu debut |
| Vijayakumari | Western dancer | Tamil | Guest appearance | |
| 1951 | Bahar | Lata | Hindi | Bollywood film debut |
| 1953 | Ladki | Rani Mehra | Hindi | |
| 1954 | Penn | Rani | Tamil | Shot simultaneously with Ladki |
| Sangham | Rani | Telugu | Shot simultaneously with Ladki and last Telugu film | |
| Nagin | Mala | Hindi | ||
| Pehli Jhalak | Beena | Hindi | ||
| Asha Nirasha | Asha | Kannada | Completed[1] Unreleased[2] | |
| Miss Mala | Mala | Hindi | ||
| 1955 | Yasmin | Yasmin | Hindi | |
| Sitara | Veda | Hindi | ||
| Jashan | Seema/Malti | Hindi | Dual Role | |
| Devdas | Chandramukhi | Hindi | Won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress, but refused the award | |
| 1956 | Taj | Princess of Roopnagar | Hindi | |
| Anjaan | Ratna | Hindi | Also known as Somewhere in Delhi | |
| New Delhi | Janki Subramaniam | Hindi | ||
| Marma Veeran | Rajkumari Vijaya | Tamil | ||
| Patrani | Princess Mrinalla | Hindi | ||
| Kismet Ka Khel | Anokhi | Hindi | ||
| Devta | Naagrani | Hindi | ||
| 1957 | Naya Daur | Rajni | Hindi | Dubbed into Tamil as Pattaliyin Sabatham[3] |
| Kathputli | Pushpa | Hindi | [4] | |
| Ek Jhalak | Mala | Hindi | ||
| Aasha | Nirmala | Hindi | [5] | |
| 1958 | Sitaron Se Aagey | Kanta | Hindi | |
| Sadhna | Rajni/Champa Bai | Hindi | Dual Role and also won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress | |
| Vanjikottai Valiban | Princess Mandakini | Tamil | ||
| Raj Tilak | Princess Mandakini | Hindi | Shot simultaneously in Tamil as Vanjikottai Valiban | |
| Madhumati | Madhumati / Madhavi / Radha (Triple Role) | Hindi | Nominated-Filmfare Award for Best Actress; India's official entry to the Oscars | |
| Amar Deep | Meena/Aruna | Hindi | Dual Role | |
| 1959 | Paigham | Manju | Hindi | |
| Jawani Ki Hawa | Latha | Hindi | ||
| Athisaya Penn | Nirmala | Tamil | ||
| 1960 | Raja Bakthi | Princess Mrinalini | Tamil | |
| Parthiban Kanavu | Kundhavi | Tamil | ||
| Irumbu Thirai | Manju | Tamil | ||
| College Girl | Kamla | Hindi | ||
| Baghdad Thirudan | Zarina | Tamil | ||
| 1961 | Then Nilavu | Shanthi | Tamil | |
| Nazrana | Vasanti | Hindi | ||
| Gunga Jumna | Dhanno | Hindi | Won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress; BFJA Award for Best Actress | |
| Aas Ka Panchhi | Neena Bakshi | Hindi | ||
| 1962 | Rungoli | Nirmala "Nimmo" | Hindi | |
| Jhoola | Sumati | Hindi | ||
| Dr. Vidya | Geeta / Dr. Vidya | Hindi | ||
| 1963 | Chittoor Rani Padmini | Princess Rani Padmini of Chittor | Tamil | Last Tamil film |
| 1964 | Zindagi | Beena | Hindi | |
| Sangam | Radha | Hindi | Won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress;[6][7] First technicolor film of Raj Kapoor[8] | |
| Phoolon Ki Sej | Karuna | Hindi | ||
| Leader | Princess Sunita | Hindi | First Indian film to be shot outside of the 1.37:1 ratio (1.85:1 ratio) | |
| Ishaara | Mala | Hindi | ||
| 1965 | Naya Kanoon | Jyothi | Hindi | |
| 1966 | Do Dilon Ki Dastaan | Hindi | ||
| Amrapali | Amrapali | Hindi | India's official entry to the Oscars | |
| Suraj | Princess Anuradha Singh | Hindi | ||
| 1967 | Hatey Bazarey | Chhipli | Bengali | |
| Chhoti Si Mulaqat | Roopa Chaudhary | Hindi | ||
| Jewel Thief | Shalini Devi Singh / Shalu | Hindi | ||
| 1968 | Sunghursh | Munni/Laila-E-Aasmaan | Hindi | Dual Role and also won the BFJA Award for Best Actress |
| Saathi | Shanti | Hindi | ||
| Duniya | Mala | Hindi | ||
| 1969 | Pyar Hi Pyar | Kavita | Hindi | |
| Prince | Princess Amrita | Hindi | ||
| 1970 | Ganwaar | Parvati (Paro) | Hindi | Last film |
As choreographer
[edit]| Year | Film | Cast | Song | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Leader | Dilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala | Tere Husn Ki Kya Tareef Karoon
Mujhe Duniya Walo Sharabi Na Samjho |
Hindi | |
| Sangam | Raj Kapoor, Vyjayanthimala, Rajendra Kumar | Main Kya Karoon Ram | Hindi | Parody of Cabaret dance |
As producer
[edit]| Year | Film | Cast | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Kathoduthan Naan Pesuven | Ramji, Sripriya, Menaka | Tamil | Co-producer with Rajiyiammal Released on 14 January 1982 |
As playback singer
[edit]| Year | Film | Song | Co-singer(s) | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Hatey Bazarey | Cheye Thaki Cheye Thaki | Mrinal Chakraborty | Bengali |
Miscellaneous Crew
[edit]| Year | Film | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Mugavaree | Tamil | Special thanks |
| 2012 | Janleva 555 | Hindi | Special message before the film starts |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ S. Shyam Prasad (7 February 2010). "South Masala: For the record". Bangalore Mirror. Archived from the original on 17 March 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
- ^ Janaki Vishwanathan (30 May 2010). "The Kaapi Diaries". Mumbai: MiD DAY. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
- ^ "Originally Dubbed in Tamil". IndiaGlitz. May 13, 2010. Archived from the original on October 12, 2011. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
- ^ Ranjan Das Gupta (9 August 2011). "My first break Vyjayanthimala". The Hindu. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
- ^ "Asha: A composer's Dream". Rediff.com. 8 September 2003. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
- ^ Fakir Hassen (Indo-Asian News Service) (3 January 2007). "Wooing Indian directors for foreign locales". Hindustan Times. Johannesburg. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
- ^ "The Big Three continue to hold sway". Filmnirvana.com. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
- ^ "Down Memory Lane". The Indian Express. 12 November 2011. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
External links
[edit]- Vyjayanthimala filmography at IMDb
- Vyjayanthimala profile at Upperstall.com