Sharmila Tagore
S harmila
Tagore was discovered by Satyajit Ray when she was 13. Her famous
debut in Ray's Apur Sansar, the third film in Ray's Apu Trilogy, was
followed by Devi, in which Sharmila acted during her school vacations.
In this film she portrayed a teenage housewife, whose father-in-law
believes her to be an avatar of goddess Kali.
Success in Ray films were immediately followed by a flood of offers
from the Bombay film industry, where her first two films Kashmir
Ki Kali and An Evening In Paris with Shammi Kapoor made her a star
overnight. Her elegant beauty, her talent and directness brought
a new level of glamour and class into the Bombay film industry.
In Bollywood, Sharmila Tagore worked with top heroes: Rajesh Khanna
(Dag, Safar, Amar Prem and Aradhana), Sanjeev Kumar, and Amitabh  Bachchan.
She received the Filmfare Best Actress award for Aradhana (1970) and
the Lifetime Achievementaward in 1997. However, Sharmila continued
to work in Benmgali cinema with Ray, and acted in films like Nayak,
Aranyer Din Ratri and Seemabaddha.
Films took a back seat after her marriage to the suave Indian cricket
captain Mansoor Ali Khan, the Nawab of Pataudi. However, to the
delight of her fans, she does occasional guest appearances, as in
Indra Kumar's Mann (1999) or Dharmesh Darshan's Dhadkan (2000).
In private life, Sharmila Tagore is also associated with charities
for abused women and children.
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