Shobhana Samarth (17 November 1916 – 9 February 2000) was an Indian actress, director and producer who began her career in the early days of talkie movies in the
Hindi film industry
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
and continued in lead roles into the 1950s.
She started in
Marathi cinema
Marathi cinema is an Indian film industry of Marathi-language motion pictures. It is based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Based in old Mumbai, it is the oldest film industry of Indian cinema. The first Marathi film to be released in India was ...
. Her first
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...
film, ''Nigahen Nafrat'', was released in 1935. She is best remembered for her portrayal of Sita in '' Ram Rajya'' (1943). In 1997, she was honoured with the Filmfare Special Award for her contribution to the arts.
Samarth later produced and directed a pair of movies that launched the careers of her daughters,
Nutan
Nutan Samarth Bahl (4 June 1936 – 21 February 1991), known mononymously as Nutan, was an Indian actress who worked in Hindi films. In a career spanning nearly four decades, she appeared in more than 70 films, mostly as a protagonist, in both b ...
and
Tanuja
Tanuja Samarth, known mononymously as Tanuja, is an Indian actress who predominantly works in the Hindi film industry. Part of the Mukherjee-Samarth family, she is the daughter of actress Shobhna Samarth and producer Kumarsen Samarth, and wa ...
.
Early life
Shobhana was born on 17 November 1916 in
Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...
, British India, as Saroj Shilotri. An only child, her father Prabhakar Shilotri was a "pioneer banker", having started the Shilotri Bank in Bombay. Her mother
Rattan Bai
Rattan Bai (July 15, 1890January 1, 1986) was an Indian actress and singer. She was the mother of actress Shobhna Samarth, grandmother of actresses Nutan and Tanuja, great-grandmother of actresses Kajol, Tanishaa Mukerji and actor Mohnish Bahl. ...
, in 1936, acted in the film ''Frontiers of Freedom'', in Marathi (''Swarajyachya Seemewar'').
Shobhna studied initially in Cathedral School, Bombay, for one year. In 1928 her father suffered financial losses and the business went into liquidation. The family then shifted to
Bangalore
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
in 1931, where Shobhana attended
Baldwin Girls High School
Baldwin Girls' High School (BGHS), founded in 1880, is an all-girls Methodist school and one of the oldest in Bangalore, India. The school follows the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education syllabus and has classes from pre-nursery up to th ...
. To earn a living, her father taught students on a private basis, while her mother taught in a Marathi school.
In December that year, her father died of a heart attack and the mother and daughter returned to Bombay to stay with her maternal uncle. Shobhana studied in a
convent school
Catholic schools are pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered under the aegis or in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest religious, non-governmental school syst ...
, but was unable to complete her matriculation, as she had begun her film career by then. Shobhana also taught privately to make money.
During this time she met her future husband
Kumarsen Samarth
Kumarsen Samarth ( mr, कुमारसेन समर्थ) was an Indian film director. He belonged to a Marathi CKP family. His inclination towards the Marathi language led him to direct some great Marathi/Hindi movies such as ''Nal Damy ...
, who had just returned from Germany and was keen on directing films. They got engaged and she started work on her first film. Her uncle was opposed to her acting in films, and she and her mother moved out of his home (ironically his daughter and Shobhana's cousin
Nalini Jaywant
Nalini Jaywant (18 February 1926 – 22 December 2010) was an Indian actress who appeared in Hindi films in the 1940s and 1950s.
Background and personal life
Jaywant was born in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1926. She was first cousin of actr ...
herself became an actress).
Career
Shobana's first film was "Orphans Of Society" (1935), also called ''Nigahe Nafrat'' or ''Vilasi Ishwar'' for Kolhapur Cinetone, directed by Vinayak and starring Vinayak and Baburao Pendharkar. The film was not a success, but Shobhana was critically acclaimed for her role.
The film was bilingual, made in
Urdu
Urdu (;"Urdu" '' Kokila'' (1937), directed by
Sarvottam Badami
Sarvottam Badami (1910–2005) was an Indian film director of Hindi, Tamil and Telugu films. He started his career as a sound recordist for the first talkie in India, ''Alam Ara'' (1931). In 1948 he helped set up the Films Division for news-re ...
Sitara Devi
Sitara Devi (named Dhanlakshm; 8 November 1920 – 25 November 2014) was an Indian dancer of the classical Kathak style of dancing, a singer, and an actress. She was the recipient of several awards and accolades, and performed at several pres ...
. Her other film for Sagar was ''Do Diwane'' (1936), directed by C. M. Luhar and co-starring Motilal,
Yakub
Yakub or Yaqub ( ar, يعقوب, Yaʿqūb or Ya'kūb , links=no, also transliterated in other ways) is a male given name. It is the Arabic version of Jacob and James. The Arabic form ''Ya'qūb/Ya'kūb'' may be direct from the Hebrew or indire ...
and Aruna Devi.
By the end of 1937, Shobhana left Sagar and joined General Films, acting in ''Industrial India'' (Nirala Hindustan), directed by Mohan Sinha with
Prem Adib
Prem Adib (10 August 1917 – 25 December 1959) was an Indian actor. He was acclaimed as one of the top Bollywood actors of the 1940s, along with the likes of Pahari Sanyal, Ashok Kumar, P. C. Barua and Master Vinayak. Adib is best remembered ...
and Wasti. The second film for them was ''Pati Patni'' (1939), directed by V. M. Gunjal with co-stars Yakub,
Sitara Devi
Sitara Devi (named Dhanlakshm; 8 November 1920 – 25 November 2014) was an Indian dancer of the classical Kathak style of dancing, a singer, and an actress. She was the recipient of several awards and accolades, and performed at several pres ...
and
Wasti Wasti or Wasiti is a toponymic surname originating from the city of Wasit, Iraq. Twelver Shias in India and Pakistan descending from Zayd ibn Ali also carry the surname along with Zaidi. Notable people bearing the name include:
*Abu Bakr Muhammad ...
.
By 1939, she had joined Hindustan Cinetone, making four films with them, which included ''Kaun Kisi ka'' (1939), ''Saubhagya'' (1940) by C. M. Luhar, and ''Apni Nagariya'' (1940) by V. M. Gunjal. She then worked in a film directed by her husband, Kumar Sen Samarth, called ''Ghar Javai'' (1941), where she was cast with Damuanna Malvankar.
In 1942 came her career-defining film ''Bharat Milap'', directed by Vijay Bhatt and starring
Durga Khote
Durga Khote (14 January 1905 − 22 September 1991) was an Indian actress, beginning as one of the foremost leading ladies of her times, she remained active in Hindi and Marathi cinema, as well as theatre, for over 50 years, starring in arou ...
as Kaikeyi, Shobhana as Sita and
Prem Adib
Prem Adib (10 August 1917 – 25 December 1959) was an Indian actor. He was acclaimed as one of the top Bollywood actors of the 1940s, along with the likes of Pahari Sanyal, Ashok Kumar, P. C. Barua and Master Vinayak. Adib is best remembered ...
as Ram. Following this was ''Ram Rajya'' in 1943, and Shobhana became identified as Sita, leading to several other films where they recreated the roles. Shobhana as
Sita
Sita (; ) also called as Janaki and Vaidehi is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic, ''Ramayana''. She is the consort of Rama, the avatar of the god Vishnu, and is regarded as a form of Vishnu's consort, Lakshmi. She ...
and Prem Adib as
Rama
Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bei ...
became extremely popular and were accepted by the audiences and had them featuring as Rama and Sita on calendars.
Personal life
Shobhana was married to director and cinematographer
Kumarsen Samarth
Kumarsen Samarth ( mr, कुमारसेन समर्थ) was an Indian film director. He belonged to a Marathi CKP family. His inclination towards the Marathi language led him to direct some great Marathi/Hindi movies such as ''Nal Damy ...
from Vile Parle (E), Mumbai. They had three daughters,
Nutan
Nutan Samarth Bahl (4 June 1936 – 21 February 1991), known mononymously as Nutan, was an Indian actress who worked in Hindi films. In a career spanning nearly four decades, she appeared in more than 70 films, mostly as a protagonist, in both b ...
,
Tanuja
Tanuja Samarth, known mononymously as Tanuja, is an Indian actress who predominantly works in the Hindi film industry. Part of the Mukherjee-Samarth family, she is the daughter of actress Shobhna Samarth and producer Kumarsen Samarth, and wa ...
and Chatura and a son, Jaideep. Eventually, the couple parted amicably and Shobhana became linked to actor
Motilal Rajvansh
Motilal Rajvansh (4 December 1910 – 17 June 1965) was an Indian actor and the winner of Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for '' Devdas'' (1955) and '' Parakh'' (1960). He is credited with being among Hindi cinema's first natural actors.
...
.
Two of her daughters, Nutan and Tanuja, also became actresses. Shobhana produced their debut films. Her other daughter, Chatura, is an artist and her son Jaideep is an advertising film producer. Chatura and Jaideep never acted in films.
Nutan's son
Mohnish Bahl
Mohnish Bahl (born 14 August 1961) is an Indian actor working in the Indian film industry and on Indian television.
Career
Mohnish Bahl debuted with the film ''Bekarar'' in a supporting role opposite Padmini Kolhapure and co Starring Sanjay D ...
is also an actor, as are Tanuja's daughters
Kajol
Kajol Devgan (née Mukherjee; born 5 August 1974), known mononymously as Kajol, is an Indian actress. Described in the media as one of the most successful actresses of Hindi cinema, she is the recipient of numerous accolades, including six ...
Ajay Devgan
Vishal Veeru Devgan (born 2 April 1969), known professionally as Ajay Devgn, is an Indian actor, film director and producer who works in Hindi cinema. Devgn has appeared in over a hundred films and has won numerous accolades, including four ...
. Other members of the dynasty include Shomu Mukherjee, who married Tanuja.
She and her daughter Nutan were estranged for more than two decades, but reconciled in the year 1983 before Nutan's death from cancer in February 1991. At her own death from cancer in 2000, Shobhana had seven granddaughters, one grandson, three great-granddaughters, and two great-grandsons.1st Filmfare Awards, 1953 /ref>
Do Diwane
''Do Diwane'' (Two Rogues) also known as ''Be Kharab Jaan'', is a 1936 Hindi comedy film directed by Chimanlal Luhar based on K. M. Munshi's famous play ''Be Kharab Jaan''. The film was produced by Sagar Movietone and had music composed by Pran ...
Apni Nagariya
''Apni Nagariya'' is a 1940 Indian Hindi-language film directed by Gunjal and written by Saadat Hasan Manto. It stars Shobhana Samarth, K. N. Singh, Nazir, and Jayant
Jayanta ( sa, जयन्त, "victory"), is a character who appears ...
'' (1940)
*''
Savera
''Savera'' is a Bollywood drama film directed by Virendra C. Desai. It was released in 1942
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is s ...
Veer Kunal
''Veer Kunal'' (Valiant Kunal) also called ''Son Of Ashoka'' is a 1945 Hindi historical fiction film directed by Kishore Sahu. Besides directing the film Sahu also produced it and wrote the story and screenplay. The cinematographer was Chandu. P ...
Narasinha Avatar
''Narasinha Avatar'' (The Incarnation of Narsinha) is a 1949 Hindi mythological film produced and directed by Sohrab Modi.
Made under the Minerva Movietone banner, it had music composed by Vasant Desai with lyrics by Narendra Sharma. The sto ...
'' (1949)
*''Hamari Beti'' (1950)
*''Ram Janma'' (1951)
*'' Insaniyat'' (1955)
*'' Love in Simla'' (1960)
*''
Chhalia
''Chhalia'' is a 1960 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Manmohan Desai. It stars Raj Kapoor, Nutan, Pran, Rehman and Shobhna Samarth. The story is loosely based on the 1848 short story "White Nights" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, but is fo ...
Panitheeratha Veedu
''Panitheeratha Veedu'' () is a 1973 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by K. S. Sethumadhavan. The film stars Prem Nazir, Nanditha Bose, Roja Ramani and Jose Prakash. It is an adaptation of Parappurath's 1964 novel of the same name. It wo ...
'' (1973)
*''
Ghar Dwaar
''Ghar Dwaar'' is a 1985 Hindi family drama film starring Tanuja and Sachin Pilgaonkar in the lead roles. The film was remade in Telugu as '' Aadi Dampatulu'', in Kannada as '' Maneye Manthralaya'' and in Tamil as '' Kudumbam Oru Kovil''.
Plot
D ...
'' (1985)
As Director
*''Hamari Beti'' (1950)
*'' Chhabili'' (1960)
*''Shaukar'', produced and directed by S. Khalil