Padma Khanna

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Padma Khanna at the age of 7, started learning Kathak from the Great Guru Kishan Maharaj from Varanasi and later and advanced course from Gopi Krishna. Her training was so rigourous she used to practice for 10 to 12 hours daily and by 12 years of age she had started performing in professional conferences along with some of the most renowned practitioners. Her mother seeing her interest and passion for the dance, moved to Mumbai to further enroll her under well-known teacher who could cake Padma Khanna under her wings which in turn would be her entry into Bollywood.   Bollywood an industry that promises great economic growth to one and all. The teacher recognized her talent and her perseverance that is required to succeed in the tinsel town. She soon became her mentor and guiding force to introduce her to some of the producers.

Before her adult debut in the film as a cabaret dancer, she had done a debut as a child in 1961with a Bhojpuri film ‘Bhaiyya’.

Padma Khanna’s roots were firmly in classical tradition as her birth place was Banaras now called the Varanasi. The city that is holy and sits on the banks of the River Ganga. 

Padma Khanna is an actress/ Dancer and a director. Her name was suggested by Padmini/ Vyjantimala top actresses of those times to enter Bollywood.

Padma Khanna still lives in Iselin, a small stretch of New Jersey suburbs. She runs the garishly famous façade Indianica Academy the building that marks the words in bold, Kathak, Folk Dance, Movies, Music and now Yoga has been added to it.

She is energetic at her mid-sixties with her hair dyed, with faint traces of ageing gracefully, dressed beautifully she has an infectious smile as she always did as she runs the studio which she had started more than two decades along with her late husband Jagdish Sidana.

Kathak as the actress recalls is a classical dance which emerged in ancient Northern India to express the epic Hindu scriptures. It became so popular and many from all over the city of Jersey would appreciate and sought to nurture the art of Kathak at her academy with great enthusiasm.

Padma Khanna had made her debut in the film Industry at the age of 21 in 1961 in a Bhojpuri film which would have been the start of her career. However, she felt it was not the right place for her so she had returned home to complete her studies. After a gap of nine year she got her first break in 1970 in the multistar cast film Johnny Mera Naam as a cabaret dancer and since then she often played roles of a vamp or a cabaret dancer in many films like Jaan-E-Bahaar, Loafer, and in Pakeezah she played the double of Meena Kumari as she was very ill in those days. Her films have been Biwi Aur Makaan (1966), Gher Gher Maati Na Chula (Gujarati 1977), Jindri Yaar Di (Punjabi 1978), Devta (Marathi 1983), Rajaputra Rahasyam (Telugu 1978), Balam Pardesiya

Padma Khanna’s role in Saudagar opposite Amitabh Bachchan as his wife Phool Bano gave her a lot of fame though the movie did not run well as expected, she had a pivotal role of Amitabh Bachchan’s love angle and his second wife in the film . She received the critical acclaim.

Padma Khanna has directed a Bhojpuri film Nahir Hutal Jaya in 2004 and  she has acted in multi lingual films.

Padma Khanna has done quite a lot of movies initially as a simple girl in films like Saaz aur Awaaz, Baharon ke Sapne and Aashirwad. She has acted in about 400 films before her retirement from the film industry.  

Sridevi has been her idol  and her favourite actress. Padma Khanna’s hobby is dancing.

Padma Khanna has done some serials on TV the main one being Ramayana where she played the role of Queen Kaikeyi which was a household name. her other serials on Television was Pehchaan(2006), Taank Jhaank(on Sony), Metha Zeher.

Padma Khanna is still remembered as the Dancing Queen of Bollywood.

The voluptuous woman who was considered as one of the most beautiful and sexy nautch girl or now are called the Item Girls, she entered the film industry and enticed the hero and the audience with minimal clothing yet looking very graceful and dignified. In the 1970’s she was one of the most popular vamp dancer and at her peak. She created her niche despite having stalwarts like Helen and Bindu also reign during the same period .

She got her popularity with the hit song Husn Ke Lakhon Rang from the film Mera Naam Joker. A crime thrillerwith one of the leading actor Dev Anand. The film was considered one among the classic films.  She was in

Bollywood when item numbers were considered a necessary, may be a small dose but it had a great impact on the script that followed.  The era when we had more angry young men and the item girls that made the film popular distinctively.

Khanna made a mention some years back that the item girls were replaced by main protagonist who were also the item girls and they did a fabulous work .However Padma Khanna continued dancing till the mid 1980’s . Some of her contemporaries became known for their roles as mother or aunts in the films or special characters. Padma moved on in life to create her own world outside India and doing something she enjoyed the most. Dancing…. And this time it was for her own studio and dance academy in New Jersey.