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Vyjayanthimala filmography
Vyjayanthimala (born 13 August 1936) is an Indian film actress, Bharathanatyam dancer, Carnatic singer, dance choreographer and parliamentarian. She was the highest paid actress of her time. Regarded as the "first female superstar" and "Megastar" of Indian cinema, She made her debut in the Tamil language film Vaazhkai in 1949 and in the Telugu film Jeevitham in 1950. She later became one of the most prominent actresses of South Indian cinema and in the golden era of Bollywood and was known as one of the iconic leading actresses of all time. Vyjayanthimala made her screen debut at the age of 13 through the Tamil film Vaazhkai (1949) and Telugu film Jeevitham in 1950 and acted in 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, being the first person to refuse a Filmfare Award. Following that, Vyjayanthimala appeared in 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 Award for Best Actress Award for Sadhna and Madhumati and won the award for the former.
At this point, Vyjayanthimala made 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 till date. She won her second Filmfare Award for Best Actress for her role in Ganga Jumna. Beginning from 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 the peak again. She reinvented herself playing a modern Indian girl appearing in revealing costumes and a one-piece swimsuit. She went 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, royal courtesan of Vaishali, Amrapali. 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. In 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 had left the film industry.
Filmography[edit]
As actor[edit]
| Year | Film | Role | Language | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | Vazhkai | Mohana Shivashankaralingam | Tamil | ||
| 1950 | Jeevitham | Mohini Sivashankara Lingeswara Prasad | Telugu | Shot simultaneously with Vazhkai | |
| 1950 | Vijayakumari | Western dancer | Tamil | Guest appearance | |
| 1951 | Bahar | Lata | Hindi | Remake of Vaazhkai | |
| 1953 | Ladki | Rani Mehra | Hindi | ||
| 1954 | Penn | Rani | Tamil | Remake of Ladki | |
| Sangham | Rani | Telugu | Remake of Ladki | ||
| Nagin | Mala | Hindi | The film was the biggest hits of that year. | ||
| 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 | |||
| Devdas | Chandramukhi | Hindi | Won - Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress but
refused the award Based on Devdas |
||
| 1956 | Taj | Princess of Roopnagar | Hindi | ||
| Anjaan | Ratna | Hindi | Also known as Somewhere in Delhi | ||
| New Delhi | Janaki Subramaniam | Hindi | Dubbed in Russia as Индия | ||
| Marma Veeran | Rajkumari Vijaya | Tamil | |||
| Patrani | Princess Mrinalla | Hindi | |||
| Kismet Ka Khel | Anokhi | Hindi | |||
| Devta | Princess of Snake world | Hindi | |||
| 1957 | Naya Daur | Rajni | Hindi | Dubbed into Tamil as Pattaliyin Sabatham[3] | |
| Kathputli | Pushpa | Hindi | Last film of Amiya Chakrabarty Completed by Nitin Bose[4] |
||
| Ek Jhalak | Mala | Hindi | |||
| Aasha | Nirmala | Hindi | [5] | ||
| 1958 | Sitaron Se Aage | Kanta Devi | Hindi | ||
| Sadhna | Champabai | Hindi | Won - Filmfare Award for Best Actress | ||
| Vanjikottai Valiban | Princess Mandakini | Tamil | |||
| Raj Tilak | Mandakini | Hindi | Shot simultaneously with Vanjikottai Valiban | ||
| Madhumati | Madhumati / Madhavi / Radha | Hindi | Nominated-Filmfare Award for Best Actress Triple role India's official entry to the Oscars |
||
| Ponniyin Selvan | Kundavai | Tamil | Inspired by Kalki Krishnamurthy's Ponniyin Selvan[6] Shelved[7] |
||
| Amar Deep | Aruna | Hindi | Remake of Amara Deepam (1956) | ||
| 1959 | Paigham | Manju | Hindi | ||
| Jawani Ki Hawa | Lata | Hindi | |||
| Athisaya Penn | Nirmala | Tamil | Remake of Aasha (1957) | ||
| 1960 | Raja Bakthi | Princess Mrinalini | Tamil | ||
| Parthiban Kanavu | Kundhavi | Tamil | Inspired by Kalki Krishnamurthy's Parthiban Kanavu[6] | ||
| Irumbu Thirai | Manju | Tamil | Remake of Paigham | ||
| College Girl | Kamla Prasad | Hindi | |||
| Baghdad Thirudan | Zarina | Tamil | |||
| 1961 | Then Nilavu | Shanthi | Tamil | First Tamil film shot in Jammu and Kashmir[8] | |
| Nazrana | Vasanthi | Hindi | Remake of Kalyana Parisu (1961) | ||
| Gunga Jumna | Dhanno | Hindi | Vyjayanthimala's first colour (Technicolor) feature film.
Won - Filmfare Award for Best Actress |
||
| Aas Ka Panchhi | Neena Bakshi | Hindi | |||
| 1962 | Rungoli | Nirmala 'Nimmo' | Hindi | ||
| Jhoola | Sumathi | Hindi | |||
| Dr. Vidya | Geeta / Dr. Vidya | Hindi | |||
| 1963 | Chittoor Rani Padmini | Princess Rani Padmini of Chittor | Tamil | ||
| 1964 | Zindagi | Beena | Hindi | ||
| Sangam | Radha | Hindi | Won - Filmfare Award for Best Actress[9][10] First technicolor film of Raj Kapoor[11] Dubbed in Russia as Сангам |
||
| Phoolon Ki Sej | Karuna | Hindi | |||
| Leader | Princess Sunita | Hindi | First Indian film to be shot outside of the 1.37:1 ratio Shot in 1.85:1 ratio |
||
| Ishaara | Mala | Hindi | |||
| 1965 | Naya Kanoon | Jyoti | 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 Choudhury | Hindi | |||
| Jewel Thief | Shalini Devi Singh / Shalu | Hindi | |||
| 1968 | Sunghursh | Munni / Laila-E-Aasmaan | Hindi | BFJA Award for Best Actress | |
| Saathi | Shanti | Hindi | |||
| Duniya | Mala | Hindi | |||
| 1969 | Pyar Hi Pyar | Kavita | Hindi | ||
| Prince | Princess Amrita | Hindi | |||
| 1970 | Ganwaar | Parvati or Paro | Hindi | Last film as actress |
As choreographer[edit]
| Year | Film | Cast | Song | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Leader | Dilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala | Unknown | 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-produce with Rajiyiammal Released in 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. 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 August 10, 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.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 A. Srivathsan (19 October 2011). "Age hardly withers charm of Ponniyin Selvan". The Hindu. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
- ↑ "Ponniyin Selvan Movie Attempts – is it a curse or lack of purse : MGR – Gemini Ganeshan – Vyjayanthimala Bali". 600024.com. 31 May 2011. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
- ↑ "Tamil film director Sridhar passes away". The Indian Express. 20 October 2008. Archived from the original on 22 October 2008. 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 on IMDb
- Vyjayanthimala profile at Upperstall.com