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{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2016}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2016}}
{{Infobox person
|name = Shobhana Samarth
|image = Shobhna Samarth.jpg
|alt =
|caption = Shobhna in the film ''[[Rambaan]]'' (1948)
|birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1916|11|17}}
|birth_place = [[Bombay]], [[Bombay Presidency]], [[British Raj|British India]] (present-day [[Mumbai]], [[Maharashtra]], [[India]])
|death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2000|2|9|1916|11|17}}
|death_place = [[Pune]], [[Maharashtra]], [[India]]
|birth_name = Saroj Shilotri
| parents = [[Rattan Bai|Prabhakar Shilotri<br>Rattanbai Shilotri]]
|years_active=
|known_for =
| spouse = [[Kumarsen Samarth]]
|occupation = Actress, director, producer
|nationality =
| children = 5; (inc. [[Nutan]] and [[Tanuja]])
| relatives = See [[Mukherjee-Samarth family|Samarth family]]
}}

'''Shobhana Samarth''' (17 November 1916 – 9 February 2000) was an [[India|Indian]] film actress, director and producer who began her career in the early days of talkie movies in the [[Bollywood|Hindi film industry]], and continued in lead roles into the 1950s. She started in [[Marathi cinema]]. Her first [[Hindi]] film ''Nigahen Nafrat'', was released in 1935. She is best remembered for her portrayal of Sita in ''[[Ram Rajya]]'' (1943). In 1997, she was honoured with the [[Filmfare Special Award]] for her contribution to arts.<ref>[http://bollywood501.com/classic_f/shobhanaSamarth/index.html Bollywood501]</ref>

Samarth later produced and directed a pair of movies that launched the careers of her daughters, [[Nutan]] and [[Tanuja]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Shobhna Samarth produced daughter Tanuja's debut film - Times of India|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/marathi/movies/did-you-know/Shobhna-Samarth-produced-daughter-Tanujas-debut-film/articleshow/12248708.cms|access-date=2020-11-06|website=The Times of India|language=en}}</ref>

==Early life==
Shobhana was born on 17 November 1916 in [[Bombay]], British India, as '''Saroj Shilotri'''. An only child, her father Prabhakar Shilotri was a "pioneer banker" having started the Shilotri Bank in Bombay.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Joshi|first1=Lalit Mohan|title=Obituary: Shobhana Samarth|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2000/feb/21/guardianobituaries1|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=5 June 2017|date=21 February 2000}}</ref> Her mother [[Rattan Bai]], in 1936, acted in the film ''Frontiers of Freedom'', in Marathi (''Swarajyachya Seemewar''). Shobhna studied initially in Cathedral School, Bombay, for one year. In 1928, her father suffered financial losses and the business went into liquidation. The family then shifted to [[Bangalore]] in 1931, where Shobhana attended [[Baldwin Girls High School]]. To earn a living, her father gave private tuitions, while her mother taught in a [[Marathi language|Marathi]] school. In December that year, her father died of a heart attack and the mother and daughter returned to Bombay to stay with her maternal uncle. Shobhana studied in a [[convent school]], but was unable to complete her matriculation as she had joined films by then. Her uncle was opposed to her joining films, and she and her mother moved out of his home (ironically his daughter and Shobhana's cousin [[Nalini Jaywant]] herself became an actress<ref name=Rediff />). Shobhana taught privately to make money. She met her future husband [[Kumarsen Samarth]] during this time, who had just returned from Germany and was keen on directing films. They got engaged and she started work on her first film.<ref name=Interview>{{cite journal|last1=Patel|first1=Baburao|title=Interview-Banker's Daughter Becomes Glamour Girl!|journal=Filmindia|date=March 1942|volume=3|issue=3|pages=55|url=https://archive.org/stream/filmindia194208unse#page/n235/mode/2up|access-date=28 August 2015|ref=Interview with Shobhana Samarth by Hyacinth}}</ref>

==Career==
Shobana's first film was "Orphans Of Society" (1935), also called ''Nigahe Nafrat'' or ''Vilasi Ishwar'' for Kolhapur Cinetone, directed by [[Master Vinayak|Vinayak]] and starred Vinayak and Baburao Pendharkar. The film was not a success, but Shobhana was critically acclaimed for her role.<ref name=Interview /><ref name=Nigahe>{{cite web|title=Vilasi Ishwar|url=http://www.citwf.com/film373437.htm|website=citwf.com|publisher=Alan Goble|access-date=28 August 2015}}</ref> The film was bilingual, made in [[Urdu]] and Marathi. Shobhana claims in an interview that she did not know any Urdu at that time of filming, speaking the dialogues by rote and it was only later that she picked up the language.<ref name=Rediff>{{cite web|last1=Khubchandani|first1=Lata|title=At This Age, I'm Priceless|url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/1999/oct/29sama.htm|website=rediff.com|publisher=Rediff|access-date=28 August 2015|ref=Interview}}</ref> She was with Kolhapur Cinetone for thirteen months, but acted in one film.

She left Kolhapur Cinetone and joined Sagar Movietone (Sagar Film Company) and she acted in one film called ''[[Kokila (1937 film)|Kokila]]'' (1937), directed by [[Sarvottam Badami]], starring [[Motilal (actor)|Motilal]], Sabita Devi and [[Sitara Devi]]. The other film for Sagar was ''Do Diwane'' (1936), directed by C. M. Luhar and co-starring Motilal, [[Yakub (actor)|Yakub]] and Aruna Devi.

By the end of 1937, Shobhana left Sagar and joined General Films, acting in ''Industrial India'' (Nirala Hindustan), directed by Mohan Sinha with Prem Adib and Wasti. The second film for them was ''Pati Patni'' (1939) directed by V. M. Gunjal with co-stars Yakub, Sitara Devi and Wasti.

By 1939, she had joined Hindustan Cinetone, making four films with them, which included ''Kaun Kisi ka'' (1939), ''Saubhagya'' (1940) by C. M. Luhar and ''Apni Nagariya'' (1940) by V. M. Gunjal. She then worked in a film directed by her husband, Kumar Sen Samarth, called ''Ghar Javai'' (1941), where she was cast with Damuanna Malvankar.

In 1942 came her career-defining film ''Bharat Milap'', directed by Vijay Bhatt and starring Durga Khote as Kaikeyi, Shobhana as Seeta and Prem Adib as Ram. Following this was ''Ram Rajya'' in 1943, and Shobhana became identified as Seeta, leading to several other films where they recreated the roles. Shobhana as [[Sita]] and Prem Adib as [[Rama]] became extremely popular and were accepted by the audiences and had them featuring as Rama and Sita on calendars.<ref name="Pauwels2007">{{cite book|author=Heidi R.M. Pauwels|title=Indian Literature and Popular Cinema: Recasting Classics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OAI0scTDAjIC&pg=PA52|access-date=28 August 2015|date=17 December 2007|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-06255-3|pages=52–}}</ref>

==Personal life==
{{Main|Mukherjee-Samarth family}}
Shobhana was married to director and cinematographer [[Kumarsen Samarth]] from Vile Parle (E), Mumbai. They had three daughters, [[Nutan]], [[Tanuja]] and Chatura and a son, Jaideep. Eventually, the couple parted amicably and Shobhana became linked to actor [[Motilal Rajvansh]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=D|first1=Johnny|title=Star couples search for love|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/india/star-couples-search-for-love/story-T7ea003jeYw3bXolKDbzlJ.html|publisher=HindustanTimes.com|access-date=25 December 2016}}</ref><ref>[http://www.rediff.com/movies/1999/oct/29sama.htm Rediff On The Net]</ref> Two of her daughters, Nutan and Tanuja, also became actresses. Shobhana produced their debut films. Her other daughter Chatura, is an artist and her son Jaideep is an advertising film producer. Chatura and Jaideep never acted in films. Nutan's son [[Mohnish Bahl]] is also an actor, as are Tanuja's daughters [[Kajol]] and [[Tanishaa Mukerji]]. Kajol is married to actor [[Ajay Devgan]]. Other members of the dynasty include [[Shomu Mukherjee]], who married Tanuja.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Kajol's Feminist Role Models: Grandmother Shobhna Samarth, Great-Grandmother Rattan Bai|url=https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/kajols-feminist-role-models-grandmother-shobhna-samarth-great-grandmother-rattan-bai-1824161|access-date=2020-11-06|website=NDTV.com}}</ref>

She and her daughter Nutan were estranged for more than two decades, but reconciled in the year 1983 before Nutan's death from cancer in February 1991. At her own death from cancer in 2000,<ref>{{cite news|title=Shobhana Samarth dead|url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/Storyold/143965/|access-date=5 June 2017|work=The Indian Express|date=10 February 2000}}</ref> Shobhana had seven granddaughters, one grandson, three great-granddaughters, and two great-grandsons.<ref>[http://deep750.googlepages.com/FilmfareAwards.pdf 1st Filmfare Awards, 1953]</ref>

==Filmography==

===As Actress===
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
*''Vilasi Ishwar'' (1935)
*''Nigah-e-Nafrat'' (1935)
*''[[Do Diwane]]'' (1936)
*''[[Kokila (1937 film)|Kokila]]'' (1937)
*''Pati Patni'' (1939)
*''[[Apni Nagariya]]'' (1940)
*''[[Savera]]'' (1942)
*''[[Vijay Lakshmi]]'' (1943)
*''[[Ram Rajya]]'' (1943)
*''[[Naukar (1943 film)|Naukar]]'' (1943)
*''[[Mahasati Ansuya]]'' (1943)
*''[[Veer Kunal]]'' (1945)
*''[[Taramati]]'' (1945)
*''Shahkar'' (1947)
*''Sati Toral'' (1947)
*''[[Rambaan]]'' (1948)
*''[[Narasinha Avatar]]'' (1949)
{{col-break}}
*''[[Malika (film)|Malika]]'' (1947)
*''Hamari Beti'' (1950)
*''Ram Janma'' (1951)
*''[[Insaniyat (1955 film)|Insaniyat]]'' (1955)
*''[[Love in Simla]]'' (1960)
*''[[Chhalia]]'' (1960)
*''[[Chitralekha (1964 film)|Chitralekha]]'' (1964)
*''[[Nai Umar Ki Nai Fasal]]'' (1965)
*''[[Wahan Ke Log]]'' (1967)
*''[[Ek Bar Mooskura Do]]'' (1972)
*''[[Do Chor]]'' (1972)
*''[[Panitheeratha Veedu]]'' (1973)
*''[[Ghar Dwaar]]'' (1985)
{{col-end}}

===As Director===
*''Hamari Beti'' (1950)
*''[[Chhabili]]'' (1960)
*''Shaukar'', produced and directed by S. Khalil

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|0006358}}
*{{Bollywood Hungama person|shobhna-samarth}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060703122110/http://freespace.virgin.net/jamal.akbar/shobana.htm Shobhna website]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Samarth, Shobhna}}
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in India]]
[[Category:Indian film actresses]]
[[Category:Actresses in Hindi cinema]]
[[Category:Indian women film directors]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian actresses]]
[[Category:1916 births]]
[[Category:2000 deaths]]
[[Category:Actresses in Marathi cinema]]
[[Category:Hindi-language film directors]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian film directors]]
[[Category:Film directors from Mumbai]]
[[Category:Actresses from Mumbai]]
[[Category:Film producers from Mumbai]]
[[Category:Indian women film producers]]
[[Category:Marathi film producers]]
[[Category:Women artists from Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Businesswomen from Maharashtra]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian businesspeople]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian businesswomen]]

Shobhna Samarth - Revision history

UpdateBot at 03:08, 24 April 2022

imported>Gotitbro: Reverted 1 edit by Kajol Wiki (talk)