SHARMILA TAGORE AT 64:



Begum Ayesha Sultana Khan (Bengali; born Sharmila Tagore 8 December 1946) an Indian film actress. She has won several National Film Awards and Filmfare Awards for her performances.

She has led the Indian Film Censor Board. In December 2005 she was chosen as an UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.

Courtesy: Free Wikipedia

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SHARMILA TAGORE AT 64:

Sharmila Tagore began her career as an actress in the 1959 Satyajit Ray film Apur Sansar (The World of Apu) as the ill-fated bride of the title character. As noted on the official website for Ray, "She was just a fourteen-year-old then, with no previous acting experience. As the shooting began, Ray had to shout instructions to Sharmila during the takes. None of this, however, is reflected on the screen. Ray cast her in his next film Devi too. She appeared in a number of Ray films, often co-starring with Soumitra Chatterjee.

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SHARMILA TAGORE AT 64:

She established herself as a popular Hindi film actress with Shakti Samanta's Kashmir Ki Kali in 1964.

Samanta again cast her in many more hit films, notably

An Evening in Paris (1967), the first appearance on a two-piece bikini of an Indian actress, (Sadhana had appeared in one-piece bikini in earlier films) which not only shocked conservative Indian audiences but also set off a wave of bikini-clad actresses carried forward by Parveen Babi (in Yeh Nazdeekiyan, 1982), Zeenat Aman (in Heera Panna 1973; Qurbani, 1980) and Dimple Kapadia (in Bobby, 1973), but established Tagore's role as somewhat of a sex symbol in Bollywood.

Wearing a bikini put her name in the Indian press as one of Bollywood's ten hottest actresses of all time, and was a transgression of female identity through a reversal of the state of modesty, which functions as a signifier of femininity in Bombay films.

But, when Tagore was the chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification, she expressed concerns about the rise of the bikini in Indian films.

Samanta later teamed up Tagore with Rajesh Khanna for movies such as Aradhana (1969) and Amar Prem (1972), where played the role of Pushpa, the courtesan in city of Kolkata, again opposite Rajesh Khanna, who himself gave his often quoted dialogue in the film, "Pushpa I hate tears..". Other directors paired them together in Daag (1973), Maalik (1972) and Safar (1970). She starred in Gulzar's 1975 film, Mausam, and she played a supporting role as heroine Sarita Choudhury's mother in Mira Nair's 1991 film Mississippi Masala.

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SHARMILA TAGORE AT 64:

Her latest release is a Marathi film Samaantar by Amol Palekar. Her earlier releases were Vidhu Vinod Chopra's film, Eklavya: The Royal Guard, brings together real life mother and son, Sharmila Tagore and Saif Ali Khan. They share screen space for the first time since Aashiq Awara (1993)

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SHARMILA TAGORE AT 64:

Sharmila Tagore converted to Islam and married Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, Nawab of Pataudi in a Nikah ceremony held on 27 December 1969. She took on the name Ayesha Sultan after her marriage. They have three children: Saif Ali Khan (b. 1970), Saba Ali Khan and Soha Ali Khan (b. 1978).

She will be celebrating her 41 years of marriage in another couple of weeks.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHAMILA



As she turns 64, here's a look at the life of the luminous Sharmila Tagore.

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ahhh she aint hold up too well

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHAMILA TAGORE



Born to a Hindu Bengali family of Gitindranath Tagore in Hyderabad, Sharmila is a distant relative of Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore.

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quote:

Originally posted by amral:
ahhh she aint hold up too well

Three children and the stress of life has taken its toll, but who knows, maybe we did not had the best of pictures, as we go along, will be interesting.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHAMILA



On a personal front, Sharmila converted to Islam in order to marry cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, Nawab of Pataudi in a Nikah ceremony held on 27 December 1969. Post the wedding vows, she was asked to take on the name of Ayesha Sultan.

I wonder if the Nawab of Pataudi was playing cricket at the time....he looks lean and mean as how a cricketer should.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHAMILA



Together, the Nawab and his Begum have three children. The eldest son, Saif Ali Khan is one of the leading actors in Bollywood today, while the middle child, daughter Saba, chose to move towards designing jewellery. Youngest Soha Ali Khan worked independently in the financial sector till a much delayed debut into Bollywood.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHARMILA



Sharmila debuted into the big bad world of films as the leading lady in Stayajit Ray's 1959 film Apur Sansar. She played the role of the ill-fated bride at the tender age of 14, with no prior acting experience whatsoever.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHARMILA



The critically acclaimed director cast her again in his next film Devi too. Thereafter, their bond grew thicker through three other films together.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHARMILA



It was Howrah Bridge director Shakti Samanta who gave Sharmila Tagore her first break in Bollywood with Kashmir Ki Kali, opposite yesteryear Shammi Kapoor. This 1964 film was a mega hit that marked her entrance.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHARMILA:

ONE OF THE MANY WONDERFUL SONGS FOR KASHMIR KI KALI:

DIWANA HUA BAADAL:

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHARMILA:

ANOTHER OF THE MANY WONDERFUL SONGS FOR KASHMIR KI KALI:

ISHARON ISHARON

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHARMILA:



Samanta used his tried-and-screen-tested beauty in hopes that they could recreate the magic on the silver screen. And they did exactly in An Evening in Paris, where Sharmila was featured in double role, once again opposite Shammi Kapoor.

Creating greater sensation, this young sensation made the first appearance on a two-piece bikini in cinematic history.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHARMILA:



This blue tankini wearing damsel scored her a place as one of the hottest actresses of all time. Soon after, she also posed on the cover of Filmfare in an itsy-bitsy bikini and set the trend for many of her peers.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHARMILA:



Ironically many years later, when she was accredited the post of Chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification, Sharmila expressed concerns about the rising number of bikini-wearing girls in on the silver screen.

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