Parveen Babi

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Parveen Babi was born in Junagadh, in Gujarat in a Muslim family. She did her early schooling from Mount Carmel High School in Ahmedabad and later attended the St.Xavier’s college in Ahmedabad where she did her MA in English Literature. Her father was a system administrator with the Nawab of Junagadh . She was born in a feudal aristocratic family with her ancestors from the Lineage of the Gujarat Historical Pathan ancestors that belonged to the Babi Royal Dynasty. Parveen Babi was born after fourteen years after the marriage of her parents and was their only child. She lost her father when she was only ten years old.

Parveen has never been married but media always speculated about her various relationships with men from the film industry . She has been linked in a close relationship with Director Mahesh Bhatt, as well as actors Kabir Bedi, Danny Denzognpa and also rumoured to be having an affair with Amitabh Bachchan which later developed into irrational fears of her accusing him of trying to kill her in her mental state of mind. Mahesh Bhatt’s film Arth in 1982 is supposed to be a semi autobiography of the relationship Parveen Babi and he produced a film in 2006 called the ‘ Woh Lamhe’ based on his interpretation of his relationship with Parveen Babi and without her inputs one is not able to confirm on the facts of the details of her character in the film. Parveen Babi had started her a career in Interior Decoration in 1991 and in 2002 she hit the headlines when she filed an affidavit in the special court hearing of the 1993 serial bomb blasts case claiming that she had gathered evidences against actor Sanjay Dutt’s involvement in the case. She lived with fear of being killed and used to record every telephone call to her. She also had the habit of recording her daily thoughts and activities . A few months before her passing away she had hosted a small Christmas Dinner at her Juhu flat . She was said to have lived a lonely life and had converted herself from Islam her original religion to Christianity.

Parveen Babi an actress who is most remembered for her glamorous roles with some of the Top actors as her co-stars between the period 1970 to early 1980’s and has acted in some of the blockbusters. Parveen Babi started her career in the Entertainment industry by starting with modeling in 1972 and was quickly approached with offers to play roles in the films. Her first film and debut in the Bollywood was opposite to the Cricketer Salim Durani for the film Charitra in 1973. The film was a flop, but Parveen;s role was noticed and she got many more offers with some of the leading actors then. . With the film Majboor in 1974 opposite to Amitabh Bachchan along with co-star Zeenat Aman , Parveen Babi changed the image of the Indian actress in the Bollwood. She is the first actress to appear on the front page of the TIMES in July 1976. Throughout her career she was a glamorous heroine and was also known as a Fashion Icon. A famous designer Manish Malhotra said ‘ Parveen Babi brought the Western style into Indian Fashion Industry’ She was always so impeccable and without losing the essence she looked her best in every role, without over dressing for any of the films or in her private life. She was considered to be one of the most beautiful and successful actresses of her era and she had her contemporaries like Hema Malini, Rekha, Zeenat Aman, Jaya Bhaduri, Reena Roy, Rakhee and she stood in parallel roles with them all in her films. She starred with Amitabh Bachchan in eight films which were all super hits. Some of her films with the Top Heros during that period were Suhaag in 1979, Kaala Patthar again 1979, Namak Halaal in 1982, opposite to Shashi Kapoor, Kala Sona in 1975 opposite to Feroz Khan, Jaani Dost in 1983 opposite to Dharmendra, Towards the end of her career she did some offbeat films like Yeh Nazdeekiyan in 1982 in which she plays the role of the Other Woman opposite to Marc Zuber and Dil Akhir Dil Hai in 1982 opposite to Naseeruddin Shah. She was often compared with Zeenat Aman as both had a common image of being sex-symbols . Infact in the films Mahaan in 1983 and Ashanti in 1982, both the films were inspired by the American Television Show Charlie’s Angels with the third role played by Shabana Azmi with Zeenat Aman and Parveen Babi. Her screen presence may have been minimal as most of her films were multi-star and worked around the story of the Hero in her film but Parveen Babi brought a certain amount of special attention from her audience which she won for being one of the most attractive heroine in the film. In the big super hit film Kranti in 1981, she stole the scene through her supporting actress role from Hema Malini who was the leading heroine in that film. She is remembered for her role as Jenny in the film Amar Akbar Anthony and Sunita in the film Shaan and Anita in Deewaar. Finally in 1983 she kind of disappeared from the mainstream Bollywood without informing anyone about her whereabouts . Many of her films got completed during this time and were released in the following years and her last film Akarshan was released only in 1988. She was a very popular actress that film producers would often line up at her door to sign her up for their forthcoming projects. Her career was at the peak at the time when most of her contemporaries were engulfed in Indian Attires, Parveen Babi was one among them who stood out with a complete westernized way of dressing that was denied in a heavily male dominated cinematic filmdom. Parveen Babi thus paved her way to differ herself and thus became a craze of the younger generation as her song picturizations involved glamorous costumes. Some of her most popular song numbers were also popular for a foottapping dance numbers like Jawaan Jaaneman, Raat Baagi Baat Baagi in Namak Halaal, Pyaar Karne Waale in Shaan and Mera Thumka in Kranti. This popularity made her one of the highest paid actress during the short career she had in the film industry. She would appear on the front page of every film magazine whether it was the Filmfare, or the Stardust, or the most prestigious magazine the Time Magazine that hit the headlines with her picture on the front cover.