Sharmila Tagore

Sharmila Tagore (Bengali: [ʃɔɾˈmila ˈʈʰakuɾ] ; born 8 December 1944) also known by her married name Begum Ayesha Sultana, is an Indian actress primarily known for her work in Hindi and Bengali films. Regarded among the greatest actresses in the history of Indian cinema, she is known for portraying both traditional and modern women. Tagore is a recipient of two National Film Awards, a Filmfare Award and the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2013, the Government of India, honoured her with Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian honour for her contributions to Indian culture through performing arts.
Born into the prominent Tagore family, one of the leading families of Calcutta and a key influence during the Bengali Renaissance, Tagore made her acting debut at age 14 with Satyajit Ray's acclaimed Bengali epic drama The World of Apu (1959). She went on to collaborate with Ray on numerous other films, including Devi (1960), Nayak (1966), Aranyer Din Ratri (1970), and Seemabaddha (1971); thus establishing herself as one of the most prominent figures in Bengali cinema.
Tagore's career further expanded when she ventured into Hindi films with Shakti Samanta's romance Kashmir Ki Kali (1964). She established herself as one of the leading actresses of Hindi cinema with films like Waqt (1965), Anupama (1966), An Evening in Paris (1967), Aamne Saamne (1967), Satyakam (1969), Aradhana (1969), Safar (1970), Amar Prem (1972), Daag (1973), Avishkaar (1974), Chupke Chupke (1975), Mausam (1975), and Namkeen (1982). She won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for Aradhana and the National Film Award for Best Actress for Mausam. This was followed by intermittent film appearances in the subsequent decades, including in Mira Nair's Mississippi Masala (1991) and Goutam Ghose's Abar Aranye (2002), which won her the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress, and in the Hindi films Aashik Awara (1993), Mann (1999), Viruddh (2005), Eklavya (2007) and Break Ke Baad (2010). Following a hiatus of 13 years, she made her film comeback with the drama Gulmohar (2023).
Apart from acting, Tagore has also served as the chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification from October 2004 to March 2011. In December 2005, she was chosen as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. She was married to cricketer and the Nawab of Pataudi, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, with whom she had three children—actors Saif and Soha, and jewellery designer Saba.
Sharmila Tagore was born on 8 December 1944 in Cawnpore (now Kanpur), United Provinces to Gitindranath Tagore, a general manager in the British India Corporation, and his wife Ira Tagore (née Barua). Tagore's father belonged to the aristocratic Bengali Hindu Brahmin Tagore family, and was related to the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. Her mother was of Assamese descent and hailed from the Barua family. Gitindranath was the grandson of the noted painter Gaganendranath Tagore, whose own father Gunendranath had been a first cousin of the laureate. In fact, Tagore is more closely related to Rabindranath Tagore through her mother: her maternal grandmother, Latika Barua (née Tagore), was the granddaughter of Rabindranath Tagore's brother, Dwijendranath Tagore. Her parents were fourth-cousins. Tagore's maternal grandfather (husband of Latika Barua née Tagore) was Jnanadabhiram Barua, an Assamese Freedom Fighter and Writer who was the First Principal of Earl Law College in Guwahati (now known as Government Law College), himself the son of the noted social worker Gunabhiram Barua. As a member of the Tagore family, she is also a distant relative of the actress Devika Rani and the painter Abanindranath Tagore (her great-granduncle, brother of great-grandfather Gaganendranath Tagore).
Tagore was the eldest of three daughters and had two younger sisters, the late Oindrila Kunda [Tinku Tagore] and Romila Sen [Chinky]. Oindrila was the first in the family to act in a film, and the only role she ever played was that of Mini, the child character (but a central character) in Tapan Sinha's film Kabuliwala (1957). In adulthood, she became an international bridge player. Her other sister, Romila Sen, married to Nikhil Sen, a businessman who served as chief operating officer of Britannia Industries for several years, died as the founder and managing director of Unibic Foods in November 2019.
Tagore attended St. John's Diocesan Girls' Higher Secondary School and Loreto Convent, Asansol. She made her film debut when she was a 13-year-old schoolgirl, after which her studies lost priority. Within a short while, her attendance and performance at school suffered, she came to be regarded as a bad influence on her classmates, and was faced with a choice of either doing films or studying further. At that point, her father advised her to move ahead in life, commit herself to a film career and 'give it her all' in order to become successful.
Tagore began her career as an actress in Satyajit Ray's Bengali epic drama Apur Sansar (1959), as an ill-fated bride. In 1960, Ray cast her again in Devi, a film set in 1860 on Hindu orthodoxy and rational reforms, which she considers her favourite film and performance. She went onto appear in Bengali films Shes Anko and Nirjan Saikate, winning the IFFI Best Actor Award (Female) for the latter, alongside Chhaya Devi, Ruma Guha Thakurta, Renuka Devi and Bharati Devi.
Tagore made her Hindi film debut with Shakti Samanta's musical romance Kashmir Ki Kali (1964) alongside Shammi Kapoor. She and Samanta collaborated on several of his later films, including the romantic thriller An Evening in Paris (1967) again opposite Kapoor. With the film, she became the first Indian actress to appear in a swimsuit, which established Tagore as a sex symbol in Hindi films. While the scene in the film is often referred to as 'the bikini scene', Tagore's swimwear is actually a one piece. However, she did pose in a bikini for the cover of Filmfare magazine in 1966. But, when she was the chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification 36 years later, she expressed concerns about the increased use of bikinis in Indian films.
Tagore went on to appear in films such as the Hindi films Waqt (1965), Anupama (1966), Devar (1966), Aamne Saamne (1967), Mere Hamdam Mere Dost (1968), and the Bengali film Nayak (1966). Her performance in Anupama, opposite Dharmendra, proved to be her breakthrough.
The 1970s marked the most successful period of Tagore's career with a string of critical and commercial successes, with her pairing with Rajesh Khanna being particularly praised and noted. The Tagore-Khanna pair yielded several successful films, most notably the romantic dramas Aradhana (1969), Safar (1970), Chhoti Bahu (1971), Amar Prem (1971), Raja Rani (1973), Daag (1973) and Avishkaar (1974), and the spiritual drama Maalik (1972). All these films established her as one of the leading actresses of the time, in addition to establishing the Tagore-Khanna pair as one of the greatest best on-screen pairs of Indian cinema. Aradhana, Safar and Amar Prem earned Tagore nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress, winning the award for the former.
During this period, Tagore also worked with Uttam Kumar in several films, including Nayak, and the bilingual dramas Amanush (1975), Anand Ashram (1977) and Dooriyaan (1979).
She headlined Gulzar's musical romance Mausam (1975) alongside Sanjeev Kumar, which earned her the National Film Award for Best Actress, and her fourth nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress.
She starred opposite Dharmendra in seven critical and commercial successes – Devar, Anupama, Mere Hamdam Mere Dost, Satyakam (1969), Yakeen (1969), Chupke Chupke (1975), Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka (1975).
She also worked alongside Amitabh Bachchan in Chupke Chupke, Faraar (1975) and Besharam (1978), opposite Shashi Kapoor in Aa Gale Lag Jaa (1973) and Paap Aur Punya (1974).
Tagore's other films during this period included Ek Se Badhkar Ek (1976), Tyaag (1977), which she also co-produced, and the Malayalam film Chuvanna Chirakukal (1978) among others.
In the 1980s, Tagore appeared in films such as Kalankini Kankabati (1981), Namkeen (1982), New Delhi Times (1986) and Maa Beti (1986). She reunited with frequent co-star Dharmendra in the action film Sunny (1984), which starred Dharmendra's son Sunny Deol in the lead role. Her performance in the film earned her a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Tagore played pivotal roles in the Bengali action film Protidan (1983) opposite Naseeruddin Shah, and Mira Nair's interracial romantic drama Mississippi Masala (1991). She also appeared in supporting roles in Ghar Bazar (1998) and Mann (1999).
During this period, she also appeared in two television shows, Katha Sagar (1986) for DD National and Zindagi (1999) for Star Plus.
Tagore starred alongside her son Saif Ali Khan in his debut film Aashik Awara (1993) and the action drama Eklavya: The Royal Guard (2007), receiving critical praise for the latter.
She also appeared in supporting roles in the musical romantic drama Dhadkan (2000) and the drama Abar Aranye (2003), the latter of which earned her the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Tagore received high critical acclaim for her performance in the family drama Virruddh... Family Comes First (2005) alongside frequent co-star Bachchan, earning her fifth nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress.
From 2007 to 2009, Tagore appeared in films such as Fool & Final (2007), Tasveer 8*10 (2009), Antaheen (2009) and the Marathi film Samaantar (2009). In 2009, Tagore became the jury member at the main competition of the 62nd Cannes Film Festival. In 2010, she played a supporting role in the romantic comedy-drama Break Ke Baad, which earned her critical acclaim, for which DNA India noting that, "Tagore pitches in with a strong performance." This was followed by a hiatus from acting.
Tagore made her comeback after a 13-year hiatus with the drama Gulmohar (2023), which released on Disney+ Hotstar. The film earned her critical acclaim, with the Hindustan Times noting that, "The elegance and poise Tagore exudes are remarkable. Her dialogue delivery, gestures, body language, emotions, everything looks just so effortless even after a long hiatus." India Today also opined that, "Tagore is always a joy to watch on screen. And, what a comeback!" Her performance earned her the Filmfare OTT Award for Best Actress Critics – Web Original Film, in addition to a nomination for Best Actress – Web Original Film.
In 2024, Tagore returned to Marathi films with Outhouse alongside Mohan Agashe, where she played a loving grandmother. Devesh Sharma of Filmfare noted, "Tagore brings warmth, wisdom, and a spark of curiosity to Aadima, portraying her as a nuanced blend of strength and vulnerability." Tagore is also set to make her comeback to Bengali films after 14 years with Suman Ghosh's Puratawn.
Tagore converted to Islam, changed her name to Begum Ayesha Sultana, and married Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, the titular Nawab of Pataudi and Bhopal and former captain of the Indian cricket team, on 27 December 1968. They had three children: Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan (b. 1970); Saba Ali Khan (b. 1976), a jewellery designer; and Soha Ali Khan (b. 1978), a Bollywood actress and TV personality. Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi died at age 70 on 22 September 2011.
From 1991 to 2004, Saif was married to actress Amrita Singh. They have two children, daughter Sara Ali Khan (b. 1995) and son Ibrahim Ali Khan (b. 2001), both actors. His second marriage is to actress Kareena Kapoor in 2012 with whom he has two sons, Taimur Ali Khan (b. 2016) and Jeh Ali Khan (b. 2021). Soha married actor Kunal Khemu in 2015, and has a daughter Inaaya Naumi Khemmu (b. 2017).
Tagore is regarded as one of the greatest actresses of Indian cinema. One of the highest-paid actress of the late 1960s and early 1970s, she appeared in Box Office India's "Top Actresses" list in 1969 and 1973. In 2022, she was placed in Outlook India's 75 Best Bollywood Actresses list. Tagore was placed 2nd in Rediff.com's "Best Bollywood Debut Ever" list, for her films Apur Sansar and Kashmir Ki Kali.
Tagore was widely known as the "style icon of the 60s and 70s" and was known as a sex symbol. Beehive hairdo and winged eyeliner were some of the style statements of Tagore that are still relevant in the fashion world and brought her the title of "The queen of dramatic eye make-up". She was placed in Times of India's "50 Beautiful Faces" list. Numerous actresses including Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone have been inspired by her style. Her daughter-in-law actress Kareena Kapoor said, "I like my mother-in-law Sharmilaji's dressing sense, both on and off-screen." Tagore was also inducted into the Bollywood Walk of Fame at Bandra Bandstand, Mumbai, where her hand print was preserved.
Tagore is considered among the finest actresses of Indian cinema. She is highly regarded for her range as an actor, her beauty, and her fashion sense and style. She was known for her range of portrayals – from traditional to modern women. Tagore portrayed challenging roles such as that of — a journalist in Nayak, a club dancer in An Evening in Paris,a widow in Aradhana,a surgeon in Safar, a woman disowned by her husband in Amar Prem, a teacher and victim of abuse in Daag and a prostitute in Mausam. Filmfare added her performances in Mausam in its list of Bollywood's "80 Iconic Performances", placing it at the 59th place.
Subhash K. Jha of Firstpost termed her the only actress with "a wide spectrum of directorial leaps" and said, "No other Bollywood actress apart from Sharmila Tagore has had such spectacular innings after marriage." American critic Pauline Kael stated, "She is exquisite, perfect - a word I don't use casually." Hemachhaya De of Femina noted, "Sharmila Tagore successfully straddled diverse film genres: arthouse, crossover and mainstream." Tagore was known as an actress who was always ahead of her time. She became the first Indian actress to wear a bikini on-screen, for her film An Evening In Paris (1967). Tagore is considered among the hottest Bollywood actresses of all time. Surendra Kumar of The Sunday Guardian noted, "She beautifully balanced her two avatars — the serious persona of realist Bengali films, and the Bollywood persona of films with song-and-dance sequences focused on success at the box office." Film historian Sanjay Mukhopadhyay said, "Tagore's most significant contribution to Indian cinema is a sense of dignity and grace — after Waheeda Rehman, she was the only actress of her time who exuded this.”