Rakhee Gulzar

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Raakhee is popularly known as Raakhee Gulzar after marriage to lyricist Director Gulzar. Raakhee was born in a Bengali family at Ranaghat in Nadia district, West Bengal on 15th August 1947 just hours after the declaration of Indian Independence. She received her early education in a local girls school . Her father had a flourishing shoe business in his native village in West Bengal, and thereafter he settled in the city in West Bengali. While still as a teenager Raakhee had an arranged marriage to a Bengali Journalist to film director Ajay Biswas but their marriage ended shortly thereafter.

Raakhee remarried the 2nd time to lyricist Gulzar and when their daughter Meghna was just a year old they separated from each other. Meghna completed her graduation in fllm making from New York University and went on to become a film Director . Some of her films that have become popular are Filhaal, Just Married, and Dus Kahaniyaan and she has authored a book in 2004 on her father’s biography. Raakhee for a few years stayed in her bungalow Muktangan which she had bought from the Marathi Playwright P.L. Deshpande on Sarojini Road in Khar in Western Suburbs of Mumbai. Later Raakhee sold the property and moved to an apartment two buildings away .As of now she leads a retired life and is mostly shuttling between her home in Mumbai and her farm house in Panvel.on the outskirts of Mumbai. Raakhee and Gulzar stayed in touch though they lived separately . Raakhee as a person comes across a woman who is difficult for others to understand. This is the image she has revealed in the industry. She has carefully chosen her roles and is professed for the airs that one has in the film industry and gradually cultivated detachment from the filmworld and created an aloofness of being a true Superstar. She had one regret as an actress that she had not learn dancing professionally but felt it was a blessing in disguise as she got the kind of roles that were women centric and revolved around her.

Raakhee started her career in the filmline from 1967 at the age of 20 . She started as an actress in her first Bengali film Badhu Baran after which she was offered the lead role in the Hindi Film , her debut was in the 1970 with Rajshri Productions for the film Jeevan Mrityu with Dharmendra as her lead pair. In 1971, Raakhee played the dual role in the film Sharmeelee with Shashi Kapoor which was a super hit film . She later acted in the film Lal Patthar and Paras in the same year and all three films released went on to become a super hit films establishing her as an actress in the Bollywood. Her films over the next decade included Shehzade in 1972 followed by Heera Panna and Daag in 1973 . Daag was a super hit film with the popular pair Sharmila Tagore and Rajesh Khanna. In 1979 she acted in the film Hamare Tumhare , in 1980 she did a role in Aachal in 1980 and Taaqat in 1982. She also did a tremendous role in the film Blackmail in 1973 and Tapasya in 1976 which is considered as one of her best performances. She acted with Dev Anand in Heera Panna and also in Lootmaar, Banarasi Babu and Joshila. Joshila again was one of the good movies she has acted in. She acted in ten films with Shashi Kapoor starting with Sharmeelee , Jaanwar Aur Insaan in 1972, Kabhi Kabhi in 1976 which was a multi-star movie, Doosra Aadmi in 1977, The critically acclaimed film of 1978, Trishna , Baseraa in 1981, Bandhan Kachchey Dhaagon Ka in 1983, Zameen Asmaan in 1984 and Pighalta Aasman in 1985. Her films with Amitabh Bachchan were Kabhi Kabhi , Muqaddar Ka Sikander and Kasme Vaade , Trishul, Kaala Patthar , Jurmana, Barsaat ki Ek Raat which all did very good at the Box Office and were very popular films . In 1981, the 23 year old Director Anil Sharma for his debut production for the film Shradhanjali requested her to act in his film on a low budget and she agreed and the film was super hit, despite the lack of funds to promote the film in the manner most of the films are made and sold. She has acted in other Bengali films as well such as Paroma in 1984, and was awarded for the Best Actress. Her last film in the lead role as the main heroine was in the film Pighalta Aasman in 1985 with Shashi Kapoor. In the late 1980;s and 1990’s she started playing strong characters as the elderly mother in the films Ram Lakhan in 1989, followed by her film in Anari in 1993 , Baazigar in 1993 gain and Ek Rishtaa in 2001 . In 2002 she played a role in Dil Ka Rishta . Her last film in the was Shubho Mahurat in 2003 for which she won an award . Since then she retired from the film Industry.