Actress Padmini
Afzal A. Khan
Saw a headline just now which says that Actress Padmini
passed away in Chennai. But the detailed report is
not yet available. Is it the veteran Padmini who was
a household name in Tamil and hindi movies ?
Just a few weeks back, I happened to see a TV programme
where she said that she was going to India only temporarily
and would be back soon. IIRC, she concluded the programme
by saying : "MaiN hamesha jawaan rahooNgi".
She looked in remarkably good health.
If true, it is very very sad indeed.
If not, may God grant her many more years of a healthy life.
Afzal
Afzal A. Khan
Following up :
Unfortunately, it is true. Here is the full report :
CHENNAI: Yesteryear’s film actor Padmini died on Sunday night at
the Apollo Hospitals in the city following a heart attack. She was 74.
Her last public appearance was at the Nehru Indoor stadium in the city
on Saturday night when tinsel town felicitated Chief Minister M
Karunanidhi for his contribution to Tamil cinema with an extravaganza.
A polyglot, Padmini has acted in more than 250 films in Tamil,
Malayalam, Hindi, Telugu and Kannada during a successful acting career
spanning over two decades from 1949 and never used to depend on dubbing
artistes.
She had paired on celluloid with some of the most popular film actors of
her times like M G Ramachandran, Sivaji Ganesan (60 films), Prem Nazir,
N S Krishnan, Raj Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand.
Though she debuted at the age of 17 in the Hindi film ‘Kalpana’, she
made her mark in south India. Her first Tamil film was ‘Manamagal’
(1950) by N S Krishnan.
A consummate classical dancer, Padmini started learning dance at the age
of four under teachers like Guru Gopinath and T M Mahalingam Pillai.
After quitting her acting career, she started a dance school - Padmini
School of Fine Arts - in New Jersey. Today, it is the oldest and most
famous school for Indian classical dances in the US.
Born in Poojapura in Thiruvananthapuram on June 12, 1932, as the second
daughter of Thankappan Pillai, a landlord, and Saraswathi Amma, Padmini
was the most successful of the ‘‘Travancore sisters’’ as she, her elder
sister Lalitha and younger sister Ragini were called.
The other two sisters died years ago. She also lost her husband Dr K T
Ramachandran in 1981 after 20 years of marriage.
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Afzal
s.bh...@gmail.com
Though her first feature film as heroin was in 1950, she had started
acting in dance sequences way back in the late 40s. Those days such
dance sequences, alongwith her sisters Lalita and Ragini, used to be
the craze of cinema goers and was almost a neccessity in all the movies
made. Actors who later turned legends like Shivaji Ganesan or MGR or
NTR or Nageswara Rao were strugglers then and used to yearn for the
opportunity to act opposite Padmini. Later when she moved over to Hindi
Filmdom she still regained her foothold in the South. RK had much of
admiration for Padmini and was very particular about casting her in his
"Jis Desh mein". (forget her cameo in his MNJ, which turned out be
quite unbecoming of a senior actor like Padmini).
I still remember a film she paired with Shivaji Ganesan (Deivapiravi)
wherein she mouths the first dialogue only after say 30-40 minutes
after the movie starts. Till then, she acted through her eyes and body
language! The nuances she brought to acting (although a bit overdone,
if you go by the standards of today) are to be reckoned with.
Though she vibed very well with Shivaji Ganesan (even in her last
interview to a regional magazine a couple of weeks back she had
laughingly said that wife of the late thespian told her that but for
her marriage with Ganesan decided already, he would have rather married
Padmini) her screen chemistry with other heros of the era was equally
mesmerising.
She was perhaps last of the legends who could carry a whole movie on
her shoulders.In some of her movies she had paired with second line
heroes and still made them huge successes, thanks to her acting
prowess.
She excelled in light hearted roles as well. A film "Mudhal Thethi" (in
a way, original of today's Hungama) proved her in a light sort of comic
role.
In fact, she fitted every role she donned, be it social, mythological,
historical, fantasy.
I am sure her soul would have found its way to the foot of the great
dancer, NATARAJA.
Sathya Sekar
Padmini was one of my favorite Tamil actresses - considering just the
first half of her career (till her marriage). In fact, my first
interests in old Tamil cine music was sparked by seeing an almost
etherally beautiful Padmini with a charming Sivaji Ganesan crooning
"mullai malar mElE" on a boat in the film "Uthama puthran". The two
combined wonderfully in those early yearsin such classic films as
"Mangayar thilakam" (Tamil version of "Bhabhi ki chudiyan" with Padmini
enacting the role of Sivaji's bhabhi), "Edhirpaaradadu", "Panam",
"Deiva piravi", "Kalyanam pannium brahmachari", "Amara deepam", the
afore-mentioned "Uthama puthran" etc. Her performance in
"Edhirparadadu" was truly memorable.
I somehow feel that her career after her marriage was not half as good
as before. Though the films were successful, her acting was generally
over-the-top as was her dancing.
But still, she epitomises the dancing-actress in South Indian films and
will be remembered so for many years to come.
RIP..
- Sathya
skalr...@yahoo.com
The report is, most likely, referring to the 1948 film Kalpana, by the
dance maestro Uday Shankar, not the 1960 film with music by O.P.
Nayyar. BNy that time, she had acted in many Hindi films, including
Mr. Sampat (1952), Amardeep (1958), and Qaidi (1957), etc.
RIP.
Satish Kalra
s.bh...@gmail.com
trend which continued in many subsequent films (one such being "Vethala
Ulagam" starring TR Mahalingam and an early production of AVM). A dance
sequence by the Travancore sisters, Lalita Padmini and Ragini, was
order of those days. Her first appearance as herione was in "Ezhai
padum paadu" made both in Tamil and Telegu. She paired first with
Shivaji Ganesan in "Pananm"
There was an element of overplay in her acting, as was the practice
those days. That her acting went overboard after her marriage (1961)
may not be right. The films for which she is remembered still like
"Thillana Mohanambal", "Vietnam Veedu" (sort of underplay she attempted
as foil against Shivaji), "Iru malargal", "Chiti" (where she donned the
role of an affectionate mother to 8(!) step children) were all made
later. If I remember, even "Deivapiravi" (referred to in my earlier
posting) was a later making.
But, by then, she had moved on to family dramas and was no longer a
young sort after heroine. MGR (who had her as the leading lady in his
films like "Raja Rajan", "Vikramadityan", "Mannadhi Mannan") had begun
pairing with younger Saroja Devi. Her return to an MGR Starrer in a
character role ("Rikshawkaran" in 1971 which fetched MGR national
award) was pathetic.
To the best of my memory, her last film as herione was "Paalum thenum"
opposite Shivaji Ganesan, Saroja Devi being the other heroine, in 1973.
Pity, no body thought of making "Nagin" (old one with VM) in Tamil.
Padmini could have wonderfully essayed the role with her dancing
prowess and expressive eyes, at par with VM, if not more.