Parveen babi age

Indian actress (–)

Parveen Sultana Wali Mohammad Khanji Babi^[1] (pronounced[]; 4 April &#;– 20 January ) was an Indian actress and model who worked in Hindi films. She was one of the highest-paid actresses of the s and early 80s.^[2] Babi was known for her glamorous acting style, her modeling and fashion, and was often cited in the media as a sex symbol.^[3][4]

Babi's modelling career began in and she soon made her acting debut with the film Charitra (), and received recognition for Majboor ().

She had her breakthrough with Deewaar (), and went on to establish herself with successful films such as - Amar Akbar Anthony (), Suhaag (), Kaala Patthar (), The Burning Train (), Shaan (), Kranti (), Kaalia () and Namak Halaal (). In , she was the first Bollywood star to appear on the cover of Time magazine.^[5] The film Irada marked her final film appearance before retirement.^[6]

Babi's personal life has been well-documented by the media; she had remained unmarried after a string of relationships with Danny Denzongpa, Kabir Bedi and Mahesh Bhatt.

She was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, which came to the attention of the public following various incidents, as well as diabetes. She also had osteoarthritis of the knee. On 20 January , Babi died of multiple organ failure.^[7]

Early life

Parveen Babi was born on 4 April, in Junagadh in the Saurashtra State of the Republic of India (now in Gujarat), into a noble family of the Babi dynasty.^[9][10] Born fourteen years after her parents' marriage, she was the only child of Vali Mohammed Khan Babi, an administrator of Junagadh State and a relative of Muhammad Mahabat Khan III.

Her mother was Jamal Bakhte Babi (died ) from Amreli. They belonged the Babi tribe of Gujarati Pathans.^[1][11][12] She lost her father to cancer when she was six years old.^[13] She lived in a haveli with 54 rooms.

She attended St. Xavier's College, Ahmedabad.

As a native speaker of Gujarati, Hindi, and Urdu, Babi self-taught herself English during college. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Psychology and a Master of Arts in English.^[1]

Career

– Modelling, transition to Bollywood and Breakthrough

Babi's modelling career began in when she was recruited by Jeannie Naoroji for a fashion show at Calico Dome.

In , B. R. Ishara taken notice of Babi, who was onlooking the shooting of his film Ek Nao Do Kinare () in Ahmedabad, and offered her a role in a film, but he forgot to contact her. Following this, Mamta Sahu, a model working for Naoroji and the daughter of director Kishore Sahu, took notice of Babi's potential and recommended her to her father, who was searching for a new face to cast in his film Dhuen Ki Lakeer ().

Unknown to Sahu, Ishara announced that Babi would make her debut in his film Charitra (), opposite cricketer Salim Durrani.^[14] Ultimately, Sahu and Ishara reached an agreement, allowing Babi to begin shooting with Sahu, who hired Roshan Taneja to teach her the basics of acting. Babi relocated to Bombay and lived with Sahu and his family.^[1][15]

Babi first received recognition for her role as Neela in the drama film Majboor ().

She had her breakthrough starring as a prostitute, Anita, in the actioncrime-drama film Deewaar (), which attained a cult following, and helped established her as a leading lady.

– Established actress

She went on to appear in many successful films throughout the s and early s, most notably starring as Jenny in Amar Akbar Anthony (), Anu in Suhaag (), Anita in Kaala Patthar (), Sheetal in The Burning Train (), Sunita in Shaan (), Shallini / Rani in Kaalia (), and Nisha in Namak Halaal ().

Babi was one of the most successful actresses of her era, along with Hema Malini, Rekha, Zeenat Aman, Neetu Singh, Reena Roy, Raakhee Gulzar, Smita Patil and Shabana Azmi. She starred opposite Amitabh Bachchan in eight films, all hits or superhits. She also starred in other hit films such as Suhaag (), Kaala Patthar (), and Namak Halaal () opposite Shashi Kapoor, Kala Sona () opposite Feroz Khan, Chandi Sona () opposite Sanjay Khan and Jaani Dost () opposite Dharmendra.

Later in her career, she had also appeared in off-beat films such as Vinod Pande's Yeh Nazdeekiyan (), playing the "other woman" opposite Marc Zuber, and Dil Akhir Dil Hai (), opposite Naseeruddin Shah.^[16]

Her career peaked at the time when most heroines were engulfed in Indian attributes, and Babi was one among the few actresses whose attire was completely westernised, and this provided her a certain latitude many other contemporary female artists were denied in India's heavily male-dominated and misogynistic cinematic fiefdom.

Babi along with Zeenat Aman, with their chiselled looks, well-sculpted bodies and anglicised accents, donned the mantle of the westernized Indian heroine and imparted to the female prima donna of Bollywood their characteristic mannerisms forever.^[17] In fact, she acted alongside Aman in Mahaan () and Ashanti () (inspired by the American television show Charlie's Angels, with the third role played by Shabana Azmi).

As Babi's personality symbolised western standards, it was difficult for Bollywood producers to give her the typical bharatiya nari and gaon ki gori roles. She mainly starred in westernised and glamorous roles that established her status as a top heroine. She appeared in several commercially successful films of the era, and her main co-stars were Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Feroz Khan, Dharmendra, and Vinod Khanna, all leading stars of the s and s.^[18] Aside from acting, Babi also worked as a model in her career.

She generally would appear on the front page of every film magazine, including Filmfare, The Stardust, and Bombay Dyeing.^[18][19] She was also the first Bollywood actress to appear on the front page of Time magazine in July , for which she made history; the cover has since become iconic.^[20]

She never shied away from portraying roles of women having a live-in relationship with men and consuming alcohol openly, both of which were taboo in those times.

The fact that Babi was paired with Amitabh Bachchan in eight films during the peak of the Big B mania attests to her stature and star power. Bachchan and Babi complemented each other in the heady first years of the Angry Young Man phenomenon. ^[21]

– Later life

Babi later "disappeared" from the film scene in , informing nobody of her whereabouts, which allowed for exaggerated rumours and pompous claims that she might be "under the control" of figures in the "underworld".

Many of her completed films were released in the following years, right up to her last film Akarshan in ^[22] She started a career as an interior decorator in ^[23] After withdrawing from show business, she took up music, piano, painting, architecture, literature, writing, cultural and archaeological study, politics, photography, sculpture, and human-rights issues.

She also made numerous contributions to newspapers and magazines from to She lived in a penthouse apartment in Mumbai, living affluently from sound financial investments.^[24]

Personal life

Babi was said to have lived alone, and converted to Christianity during the late s.^[25][26]

Relationships

Around , Babi became engaged to her distant cousin from Pakistan, Jamil Khan, before it was ended by her mother during the Indo-Pak war, leaving her devastated.^[a][27] In , Babi dated Neville Damania, the bassist of the band Purple Flowers, until she relocated to Bombay to pursue a career in the film industry.^[1] She was in a relationship with Danny Denzongpa for four years, with whom she lived during that time.^[28]

In September , Parveen started dating Kabir Bedi, who was in the midst of an open relationship with his wife, Protima Bedi, at the time.

After learning about Babi and Kabir's relationship, Protima and Kabir agreed to divorce, allowing him to date Babi exclusively. In , following the success of his television series Sandokan (), Babi accompanied Bedi to Italy and Spain and to Yugoslavia in They split in ^[8][29][30]

Following this, film director Mahesh Bhatt, who was already married to Lorraine Bright, began an affair with Babi.

When the media began to speculate, Babi denied a relationship between them. Six months into the relationship, Bhatt told Bright about the affair.^[1]

Friendships

During Babi's relationship with Kabir Bedi, she initially maintained a cordial relationship with Protima Bedi, but later she became possessive over Protima, leading to a falling out.

Protima would often ask Babi to look after her children while she was away in Odisha. Babi was introduced to U. G. Krishnamurti through Mahesh Bhatt and developed a close friendship with him.^[1][33]

Struggles with mental health

Mahesh Bhatt revealed Babi had her first panic attack in during communal riots.

In which she was hidden under a mattress and transported to her guardian's home, fearing she might be sexually assaulted.^[34][1][8]

In , Bhatt and Babi's mother witnessed her sitting in the corner of her bedroom, holding a knife. Parveen claimed that Amitabh Bachchan was attempting to kill her, and the room was bugged.

Over several days, she expressed persistent paranoia, claiming that many people around her were conspiring against her, including Bhatt. She alleged that Bhatt’s daughter, Pooja Bhatt, was being held for ransom and stated that killing her would be the only way to set Pooja free. Babi refused to eat food unless someone else took a bite first, fearing it was poisoned.^[1]

On 30 July , Babi left India and travelled to various countries for a spiritual journey with U.

G. Krishnamurti and her friend Valentine and spent some of the time in California and Houston. She returned to Mumbai in November She was rumoured to have been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, although she regularly denied this, stating that her being labelled as such was a conspiracy by the film industry and the media to malign her image and make her appear insane, so that they could cover up their crimes.^[35] This led Babi to break relationships with most of her friends and family, and becoming reclusive.^[36] She accused many foreign dignitaries as well as Indian film personalities, including Amitabh Bachchan, Bill Clinton, Robert Redford, Prince Charles, Al Gore, US government, British government, French government, BJP government, Roman Catholic Church, the CIA, CBI, KGB and Mossad,^[37][38] of conspiring to kill her, but her petition in court was dismissed for lack of evidence; her evidence turned out to be scribblings on a notepad.^[35]

On 7 April , Babi was suspected at John F.

Kennedy International Airport after she failed to submit her identification papepapers, the authorities handcuffed her and kept her in a general ward with thirty other mentally disturbed patients. The Indian Consul General, who had been informed of the incident, had come to visit her at the hospital. During U.G.'s visit, Babi smiled and chatted with the consul as though nothing had happened.^[39][40][35] In an interview to a film magazine dated , she said: "Amitabh Bachchan is a super international gangster.

He is after my life. His goons kidnapped me and I was kept on an island where they performed a surgery on me and planted one transmitter/chip/electronic bug right under my ear." There was a photograph of Babi showing a scar below her ears.^[41][42]

In , she again hit the headlines when she filed an affidavit in a special court hearing of the serial bomb blasts case, claiming that she had gathered clinching evidence against actor Sanjay Dutt showing his involvement in the case, but she did not turn up in court after being summoned, saying that she was afraid of being killed.^[35] In the last four years of her life, Babi recorded every phone call, always punctiliously informing the caller about surveillance.

Death

Babi was found dead on 22 January after her residential society secretary alerted the police that she had not collected groceries and newspapers from her doorstep for three days.^[43] The police suspected that she may have been dead for up to 72 hours before her body was found.

The cause of her death was not immediately known. She was found to have a gangrene of the left foot, a complication of her diabetic condition. A wheelchair was found near her bed along with a series of disarranged paintings, clothes, medicines, and old newspapers. It is possible that she was unable to walk in her last days due to a gangrenous foot and required the use of a wheelchair to move around her flat.^[44] A post-mortem was conducted at Cooper Hospital and reports showed that there were no traces of food in her stomach, but some alcohol (possibly from her medication) was found and it is possible that she had not consumed anything for more than three days and as a consequence starved to death.

The police ruled out foul play and determined she succumbed to total organ failure and diabetes.^[45]

Babi converted to Christianity during the last years of her life, as she stated in an interview, and was baptised in a ProtestantAnglican Church at Malabar Hill.^[46] She expressed a desire to be buried as per Christian rites, but her relatives who were Muslims claimed her body after her death and buried her according to Islamic rites.^[25][47] Babi was buried at Juhu Muslim cemetery in Santacruz, Mumbai.^[48]

After her death the State Administrator General of Maharashtra became sole custodian of her properties and assets.^[49] Following her death, chaos erupted when various distant relatives filed petitions with the high court regarding the will of her property which had been lying in the locker of a Junagadh bank, executed jointly by actor and friend Murad Khan Babi.

The will stated that 70% of her property was to be put in a trust in her name to help poor members of the Babi family. 20% was pledged to Murad Khan Babi, for being "a guiding force", and 10% was to be given to Christian missionary funds.^[50][51]

Five years later, due to a shortage of land space for burials, Babi's grave along with other luminary Bollywood celebrities, such as Mohammed Rafi, Madhubala, Sahir Ludhianvi, Talat Mahmood, Naushad Ali, who were interred at Santa Cruz Muslim Cemetery, were exhumed and their remains were relocated to a new resting place.^[52][53][54]

Artistry and legacy

Babi is regarded as one of the greatest actors of Indian cinema.^[55] One of the highest paid actresses of s to early s, in , she was placed in Outlook India's "75 Best Bollywood Actresses" list.^[56] Babi was among the most stylish and beautiful actress of Hindi cinema.

Times of India placed her in its "50 Beautiful Faces" list.^[57] She was the first Indian star to be featured on the cover of the Asia edition of TIME in ^[58] placed Babi seventh in its "Sexiest Bollywood stars of all times" list.^[59] Babi is considered among the hottest Bollywood actresses of all time.^[60]

Writing for Firstpost, Subhash K.

Jha noted, "With her good looks, perk, poise, and sex appeal, the sky was the limit for Parveen Babi."^[61]Filmfare noted, "In the s and s, Parveen Babi had a devoted fan base and lit up the screen whenever she showed on it."^[62]India Today wrote, "Parveen Babi with her chiselled looks, well-sculpted body and anglicised accents donned the mantle of archetypal Indian heroine and imparted to the female prima donna of Bollywood her characteristic mannerisms forever."^[63] Latha Srinavasan of The Sunday Guardian termed her "alluring yet outspoken" and said she was "a sensation in the s".^[64]

Filmography

Honors and tributes

Mahesh Bhatt, Babi's former partner, wrote and directed Arth (), a supposedly semi-autobiographical film about his relationship with Babi.

Smita Patil's role in the film was inspired by Babi.^[74] Bhatt wrote and produced Woh Lamhe () directed by his nephew Mohit Suri, based on his recollection and interpretation of his relationship with Babi and without any inputs from her. The role inspired by her was played by Kangana Ranaut.^[75][76]

Actress Zeenat Aman said, "Parveen was gorgeous, glamorous and talented.

Back in the '70s, we wore our hair in a similar manner and enjoyed Western fashion. After her death, I often ruminated on how she was remembered. Parveen was much more than who she dated or what she said when she was unwell. I feel she never truly got the chance to say her piece."^[77] Designer Manish Malhotra said, "Parveen Babi brought minimalism into fashion.

She was always impeccable, not overdoing it even once."^[78] Malhotra also added her in his "Five super stylish heroines of the seventies" list.^[3] In , the 37th International Film Festival of India honoured Babi by screening her films.^[79] In , Karishma Upadhyay wrote her biography named, "Parveen Babi: A Life".^[80]

Further reading

References

Notes

Citations

External links