Shashikala Saigal (née Jawalkar; 4 August 1932 – 4 April 2021),[1][2] better known by her first name, was an Indian film and television actress, who played supporting roles in hundreds of Bollywood films beginning in the 1940s.
Early years
Shashikala Jawalkar was one of six children born in Solapur, Maharashtra[3] to a Hindu BhavsarShimpi caste Marathi speaking family. By age 5, she had already been dancing, singing and acting on stage in many towns in Solapur district.[4] When Shashikala was in her pre-teens, through ill luck, her father became bankrupt, and he brought his family to Bombay (now Mumbai), where they thought that Shashikala, the best-looking and most-talented among his children, could find work in movies. For some time, the family lived with friends and barely survived, while Shashikala wandered from one studio to another looking for work. She earned in bits and pieces till she met Noor Jehan, the reigning screen queen.
Noor Jehan's husband Shaukat Hussain Rizvi, was making the movie Zeenat then, and included Shashikala in a Qawwali scene.[5] Rizvi gave her a supporting role alongside Noorjehan and Dilip Kumar in the 1947 film Jugnu. She acted with Dilip Kumar again in the 1950 film Arzoo.
She worked with Shammi Kapoor in film Daku (1955).[6] She struggled on and got small roles in movies made by P. N. Arora, Amiya Chakravarti, and a few other producers. She first rose to fame with her role in Hindi film Pugdi (1948) produced by Prem Narayan Arora. She got roles in V. Shantaram's Teen Batti Char Raasta (1953)[7] and a few other movies. While in her early twenties, Shashikala met and married Om Prakash Saigal, who belonged to the Kundan Lal Saigal family, and has two daughters.[8]
Acclaimed supporting roles
In 1959, she appeared in Bimal Roy's Sujata.[9] In Tarachand Barjatya's Aarti (1962), starring Meena Kumari, Ashok Kumar, and Pradeep Kumar, Shashikala portrayed a negative role, which received positive reviews, and earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress.[10][11] Soon after, offers began to pour in to her for supporting roles. She appeared in Gumrah (1963) which won her a second Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress,[12]Ayee Milan Ki Bela (1964),[13]Himalay Ki God Mein (1965), Waqt (1965),[14]Anupama (1966),[15]Phool Aur Patthar (1966),[16]Neel Kamal (1968), and Khubsoorat (1980).[10] She played a negative character in Chhote Sarkar (1974)[citation needed] starring Shammi Kapoor and Sadhana. While her female lead co-stars usually played roles of good-natured, modest, or pious women, Shashikala usually played either flighty and feisty bubbly women or vamps who plotted the downfall of others. Later in her acting career, she would typically play the role of a sister or mother-in-law. In 80s her acclaimed performances came in films like Phir Wahi Raat, Souten, Sargam. She performed in supporting roles in more than 100 films.
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