Sharmila Tagore

Sharmila Tagore (; 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. Widely recognized as one of the greatest actresses of Indian cinema, she is known for her portrayals of intense, dramatic, and nuanced characters across a variety of genres. Tagore is a recipient of two National Film Awards, a Filmfare Award, a Filmfare OTT 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), her other Bengali films over the time included Barnali (1963), Shes Anko (1963), Nirjan Saikate (1965), Amanush (1975), Anand Ashram (1977), and Kalankini Kankabati (1981);thus establishing herself as one of the most acclaimed actresses of 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), ''Devar'' (1966), ''An Evening in Paris'' (1967), '' Aamne Saamne'' (1967), '' Satyakam'' (1969), '' Aradhana'' (1969), ''Safar'' (1970), '' Amar Prem'' (1972), '' Daag'' (1973), Aa Gale Lag Jaa (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 Sunny(1984), Swati(1986), New Delhi Times (1986), Mira Nair's '' Mississippi Masala'' (1991) and Goutam Ghose's '' Abar Aranye'' (2002), which won her the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress, '' Shubho Mahurat'' (2003), 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) followed by a critically acclaimed performance in '' Puratawn'' (2025).

In 1999, Sharmila Tagore was honoured by French Government with the Insignes de Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Commander of Order of Arts and Letters), one of France's highest distinctions for contributions to the Art and Culture.

During the 1960s and 1970s, her distinctive fashion choices established her as an influential figure in shaping contemporary Indian style.

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.

Early life and background

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 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 inku Tagoreand Romila Sen hinky 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.

Career

Beginnings and Cinematic Emergence (1959–1968)

Tagore began her career as an actress in Satyajit Ray's Bengali epic drama '' Apur Sansar'' (1959), as an ill-fated bride.Stuff Reporter,
Being Sharmila, all through life
, ''The Hindu'', Retrieved 23 August 2006 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,Various writers, ''Rashtriya Sahara'', page 28, Sahara India Mass Communication, 2002Avijit Ghosh,
Bollywood's unfinished revolution
, ''The Times of India'', 2 July 2006 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), '' Sawan Ki Ghata'' (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.

Commercial success and stardom (1969–1980)

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 a Superstar, in addition to establishing the Tagore-Khanna pair as one of the greatest best on-screen pairs of Indian cinema. ''Aradhana'', ''Safar'', ''Amar Prem'' and ''Daag'' earned Tagore nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress, winning the award for the former.

In addition to Rajesh Khanna, her pairing was also successful with Dharmendra and Shashi Kapoor, two of her favorite co-stars. In Benagli Cinema, she was repeatedly paired opposite Soumitra Chatterjee and Uttam Kumar.

She starred opposite Dharmendra in eight critical and commercial successes – ''Devar'', ''Anupama'', ''Mere Hamdam Mere Dost'', '' Satyakam'' (1969), '' Yakeen'' (1969), '' Chupke Chupke'' (1975), '' Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka'' (1975) and '' Sunny'' (1984).

She collaborated with Shashi Kapoor for '' Waqt'' (1965), '' Aamne Samne'' (1967),
'' Suhana Safar'' (1970),'' Aa Gale Lag Jaa''(1973), '' Paap Aur Punya''(1974),'' Swati''(1986) and national award winner movie '' New Delhi Times'' (1986). However, their other films did not receive much recognition.

She also worked alongside Amitabh Bachchan in ''Chupke Chupke'', '' Faraar'' (1975) and '' Besharam'' (1978),'' Desh Premee'' (1982) and '' Virruddh... Family Comes First'' (2005).

She headlined Gulzar's critically acclaimed '' Mausam'' (1975) alongside Sanjeev Kumar, which earned her the National Film Award for Best Actress, and her fifth nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress.

During this period, Tagore also worked with Uttam Kumar in several films such as ''Amanush'' (1975), '' Anand Ashram'' (1977) and '' Dooriyaan'' (1979).

She also received praise for her performances in Mere Humsafar, Charitraheen, and Griha Pravesh.

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.

Further success and sporadic work (1981–2010)

In the 1980s, Tagore appeared in films such as '' Kalankini Kankabati'' (1981), '' Namkeen'' (1982), '' New Delhi Times'' (1986) and '' Swati'' (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. She also received critical acclaim for her subtle acting in '' Shubho Mahurat'' (2003).

Tagore received high critical acclaim for her performance in the family drama '' Virruddh... Family Comes First'' (2005) alongside frequent co-star Bachchan, earning her sixth 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.

Return to Cinema and acclaimed performances (2023 to Present)

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 made her comeback to Bengali films after 14 years with Suman Ghosh's '' Puratawn'' (2025).

Personal life

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).

Public image

Tagore is regarded as one of the greatest actresses of Indian cinema. One of the highest paid Indian actresses of 1960s and 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''.

Fashion Icon

Tagore was widely known as the "style icon of the 60s and 70s" and was known as a sex symbol. Beehive hairdos and winged eyeliner were among Sharmila Tagore’s signature style statements, earning her the moniker “the queen of dramatic eye make-up.” Regarded as a style icon, she was known for seamlessly blending traditional elegance with modern glamour—appearing in exquisite sarees and also making bold fashion choices, such as wearing a swimsuit on screen. Her oufits, both in films and public appearances, set enduring trends and helped redefine feminine grace in Indian cinema.Tagore’s public image extended beyond her work in cinema, as she was often regarded as a representation of the changing role of women in Indian society during the 1960s and 1970s. Her public persona is often described as graceful, confident, and forward-thinking. 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.

Reception and legacy

Tagore is considered among the most accomplished actresses of Indian cinema. She was among the earliest Indian actors to receive international acclaim for her performances. She is highly regarded for her versatility as an actor, her beauty, and her fashion sense and style. Throughout her career, she portrayed a wide range of complex female characters. Whether it was a young women mistaken for a goddess trapped between divinity and delusion in ''Devi'', a thoughtful and an independent journalist in ''Nayak - the hero'', a daughter rendered mute by emotional trauma and her father's neglect in ''Anupama'', Twin sisters with contrasting personalities in ''An Evening in Paris'', A women defying social norms for her son's better future in ''Aradhana'', A surgeon caught between love, loss and duty in ''Safar'', A women grappling with a quiet unraveling of her monotonous marriage life in ''Aavishkar'', A dual role of a vulnerable and an innocent village belle and her foulmouthed prostitute daughter in ''Mausam'', A courtesan with a heart of a gold in ''Amar Prem'' or a matriarch of a troubled family going through generational shifts in ''Gulmohar'', Tagore has been substantial in changing the image of a typical Indian Film heroine and also advocated for women's agency through her author-backed performances. ''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.”
Martin Scorsese is known to be an admirer of Sharmila Tagore's acting particularly her performances in Satyajit Ray's films.

Filmography

Films

Television

Music video

Accolades

Civilian award

Film awards

Other awards

Honours and recognitions

* 1999 - Honoured by the French government with the Insignes de Commandeur de Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
* 2012 - Honoured by the Edinburgh University with a Honorary Doctorate of Arts, for her outstanding contribution to Indian cinema.

In popular culture

* In Aditya Chopra's 2008 film '' Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi''s song " Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte", actress Preity Zinta dressed herself as Tagore with her famous beehive hairdo, as a tribute to her look in '' Aradhana''.
* In 2022, actress Paoli Dam dressed herself as Tagore and recreated her look from ''An Evening in Paris'' (1967), on the occasion of 75 years of Independence.

References

Further reading

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External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tagore, Sharmila
1944 births
Living people
Indian film actresses
Actresses in Bengali cinema
Actresses in Hindi cinema
Actresses in Marathi cinema
Actresses in Malayalam cinema
Bengali actresses
Best Actress National Film Award winners
Best Supporting Actress National Film Award winners
Actresses from Hyderabad, India
Actresses from Mumbai
Recipients of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts
Sharmila
UNICEF goodwill ambassadors
Indian former Hindus
21st-century Indian Muslims
20th-century Indian actresses
21st-century Indian actresses
Filmfare Awards winners
Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award winners
Saif Ali Khan