January 23, 2009

• Vyjayanthimala

  

  Does anybody know who Vyjayanthimala Bali is? She is a Bollywood mega-star of the 50′s and 60′s. Many of you were not even born when she was acting in films. She started acting in films in late 40′s and after reigning the Hindi film world for about 20 years as the super-heroine, who conquered the hearts of all her audience, she quit the movie world in 1968 when she got married. She was at the peak of her form and fame at the time.

  Vyjayanthimala is not just an actress. She is a professional Indian classical (Bharatanatyam) dancer. She is the first professional dancer to become a film heroine in Bollywood (Bombay+Hollywood) who introduced the trend of semi-classical dancing in Hindi movies which is so popular all over the world.

  After quitting the films, Vyjayanthimala continued to dance (which happens to be her first love), and also picked up golfing. She is an accomplished golfer and have played in National Championships (15 handicap). She was also a member of the Indian Parliament. She was elected to the Loksabha (Lower House of the Parliament) twice and was nominated to the Rajyasabha (Upper House of the Parliament) once. Vyjayanthimala literally travelled all over the world to perform her art on stage. She was the first Indian dancer to give a Bharatanatyam recital for the United Nations 20th Anniversary Celebrations of the Human Rights Day in New York in 1969.

  Vyjayanthimala is well over 70 now and she still lives an active life in Chennai (formerly Madras), India. She runs a classical Bharatanatyam dance and music school called Natyalaya Academy there. She is also very actively involved in social work like women’s and children’s welfare, and works for the wellbeing of the poor and the downtrodden.

  Vyjayanthimala is a living legend of our times. To pay respect to her and to show my affection to her, I have created a web site called Vyjayanthimala – A Personal Tribute. I invite all of you to visit the site to read more about her, see her photo galleries, and see video clips from her movies including some of her dancing in movies. The web site was officially published on March 10, the date of her marriage. Coincidentally, March 10 is the date of my marriage too!

  Note: This blog was originally posted on April 8, 2007. My site has recently moved. So I updated the link today.

  Shoban Sen
  Bestnetguru.com

  • 10:58 pm
  • 4 Comments