The veteran actress Sharmila Tagore never wanted to become an actress as she wanted to become a dancer. The accidental actress went on to receive two National Awards and two Filmfare Awards for her work. Sharmila also received Padma Bhushan in 2013.
In 1967, her movie An Evening in Paris caused some controversy as Sharmila was seen wearing a swimsuit. After that she also posed for a Filmfare magazine in a bikini. This made Sharmila, one of the all-time hottest actresses of Bollywood. The usage of bikini shocked a lot of conservative Indians, however many actresses like Parveen Babi and Zeenat Aman carried on the bikini trend.
When Sharmila was married to Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi in 1969 in a Muslim wedding ceremony, she changed her name to Begum Ayesha Sultana Khan.
The seventy three years old actress is related to the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. Sharmila is related to him from both her paternal and maternal side, but more closely from her maternal side. Her maternal grandmother was the granddaughter of Rabindranath’s brother Dwijendranath Tagore.
She was part of the Indian Film Censor Board from October 2004 till March 2011. She was also a member of the International Competition’s Jury at the Cannes Film Festival 2009.
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