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Parveen Babi -The Unsung Actor
By:
Daliya
Daspurkayastha
Wednesday,
March
14,
2007
Sensational,
stylish,
beautiful....
such
adjectives
are
most
appropriate
to
describe
one
of
the
versatile
actresses
of
Indian
cinema.
She
is
none
other
than
the
veteran
actress
of
bollywood
'Parveen
Babi'.
Parveen
was
well
known
for
her
long
silky
hair
and
the
glamorous
image
which
she
portrayed.
Parveen Babi's original name was Parveen Wali Mohammad Khan Babi, and was born to a Gujarati Muslim family of Vali Mohammed on April 4, 1949 - January 20, 2005.in Junagadh .She was born fourteen years after the marriage of her parents and was the only child. Her father Vali Mohammed Babi,was an administrator with the Nawab of Junagadh. She did her early schooling in Aurangabad and later attended St. Xavier's College in Mumbai.
Parveen Babi made her entry into the film industry in the year 1973 with the film titled Charitra. In 13 years of her career she acted with almost all the famous actors and directors of the decade. Some of her hit films include Majboor, Amar Akbar Anthony ,Deewar, Kala Patter, Kranti, Kalia. Though these films are basically male oriented, Parveen made her presence felt in the film and got appreciation. She had a very good chemistry with Amitabh Bachchan and they together gave many big hits. In fact, she acted alongside Aman in Mahaan (1983) and Ashanti (1981) (inspired by the American television show Charlie' Angels, with the third role played by Shabana Azmi. She also acted in films like 36 Ghante (1974), Trimurti (1974), Majboor (1974) Bullet (1976) Chandni Sona (1977), Namak Halaal (1982).
Parveen and Zeenat Aman were strong competitors and they were often compared due to their western outlook. She was the heartthrob of millions of Indian audience. She was the first Indian actress to have featured on TIME magazine's cover, in 1975.
Like many other stars she was also encircled in many controversies. She had accused many foreign dignitaries and her former co-star, Amitabh Bachchan, of conspiring to kill her, but her petition in court was dismissed for lack of evidence. She also filed an affidavit in the special court hearing the 1993 serial bomb blasts case, claiming that she had evidence to show, but she did not turn up in court after being summoned saying that she was afraid of being killed.
Parveen was unmarried but her affairs with director Mahesh Bhatt and actors Kabir Bedi and Danny Denzongpa was very much in news in those days. She even ran away to Italy with Kabir Bedi. She was too outspoken and openly talked about drugs; she even openly advocated her free love. Mahesh Bhatt has a strong bond with her and prompted him to make films like Arth (1982) and Woh Lamhe (2006) a semi-autobiographical film on his relationship with Babi.
Parveen Babi has lit up the silver screen with her charming looks and personality since 1970s. But after her last film Aakarshan (1988), she had completely vanished from the silver screen in the mid- eighties. She left for New York in 1983.There she associated with spiritual philosopher U.G Krishnamurti.In 2002 she returned to Mumbai. where she was unrecognizable as her former self after having put on a considerable amount of weight. She accused many foreign dignitaries and her former co-star, Amitabh Bachchan, of conspiring to kill her but her petition in court was dismissed for lack of evidence. She also filed an affidavit in the special court hearing the 1993 serial bomb blasts case, claiming that she had evidence to show, but she did not turn up in court after being summoned saying that she was afraid of being killed.
In spite of much name and fame, her life was not a carefree one. She lost her parents much early. In the last days of her life she suffered from schizophrenia and become a recluse. She withdrew from the public life as her mental illness took over her life. She converted to Christianity towards the end of her life. She was found dead in her Mumbai apartment on January 22, 2005 after her residential society secretary complained to the police that she had not collected milk and newspapers from her doorstep for the past two days. The police ruled out any foul play. She was buried next to her mother at Santa Cruz in Mumbai on January 23.
Unfortunately, she died alone, forgotten by those worked with her in her heydays. She was a star who had the whole industry go gaga when alive but died a sad and isolated death...unloved, unappreciated and forgotten!
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