PARVEEN BABI: HAPPY 71st
BIRTHDAY
On her 71st birthday anniversary, we reminisce a
stunning beauty, classy and glamourous, Parveen Babi with enigmatic aura, delicate
grace and urbanity, she was considered to be one of the most beautiful
actresses in Indian Cinema. Belonging to noble Babi dynasty of Pashtun descent,
residing in Western India, she was very modest about her noble lineage and took
interest in literature, poetry and architecture. With her confident and
independent outlook, Parveen Babi re-defined the conventional culture, with the
ripples of feminism stroking the Indian society in 70’s, created a new identity
of female protagonist in the Indian film Industry.
Gorgeous Parveen Babi was honest, forthright, simple and
kind hearted. She was an easy going person with a casual attitude,
transformed herself to a free spirited and nonconformist individual. An ethereal beauty, Parveen Babi with sharp intellect, was one of the few performers ,who defined the new Indian woman of twentieth century, she took on her male
peers with ability, talent and confidence.
No, I never felt I would
become a Film Star. I was only interested in acting on the stage. I have many
stage plays to my credit. My plays at Ahmedabad were very popular. At that
time, I was doing my M. A in English literature when I had a chance encounter
with Mr B. R. Ishara who had come to see one of my plays. I had modelled for
almost all the top advertising agencies when I was a college student in
Ahmedabad and hence there is no reason for me to be shy at all in front of the
camera. Parveen Babi
A fabulous Parveen’s dynamic rise to stardom illuminated and
influenced the spirit, curiosity and psyche of youngsters in 70’s, accelerated
the extraordinary inquisitiveness about her phenomenal ascent to fame and stardom
in a very short time. Parveen Babi and Zeenat Aman have been India’s most
glamourous icons and their style is just as consistent and significant in
fashion world as it was in 70’s-80’s.
Parveen Babi was a popular celebrity, a charming talker, an
elegant woman whose beauty and femininity were overwhelming assets, though she was
well aware of inherent glamour gift but never flaunted her assets, rather with impressive
oratorical talent and remarkable eloquence, she was intelligent enough to energize
her attributes genuinely in public. Basically, she was humble, pleasant and
innocent girl, often overpowered by the unpleasantness and pressures of the
world. There was a profound mystery that surrounded her all along and
intensified a rather mysterious allure as she continued to be an enigma.
To me being a professional is
striving for and achieving a goal one step higher. Professionalism includes
discipline and self-appraisal. One has to be one’s own critic and a keen
observer of things going around oneself. It includes never being satisfied with
what you have, to my mind this process is very important in a creative person.
Parveen Babi
The next time I saw Parveen, she was at home, the scenario
was completely different from Razia Sultan sets. There was shelf, stacked with high-brow
reading. An expensive music system, floor level furniture and an Indian antique.
She was dressed in jeans and a plain white kurta, her hair brushed straight,
with a pack of Dunhill in hand and smiled through cigarette stained teeth.
Today besides the films, she is into business of mindstyle and Yen of Taoism or
‘Confucius Clarity’ business of J Krishnamurthy. Among these things she tries
to erase everything else. (Stardust, March,1978)
Competition by its nature is
not limited to being healthy. I ignore unhealthy competition. It doesn’t bother
me but I try to forget it. I refuse to retaliate. Healthy competition is good
because then everyone tries to do their best, look better and for this they
work hard. People are always striving within themselves to do better things.
Anyone who isn’t, is not a professional.
Parveen Babi
On her birthday, we relive and evoke the memories of her
bright and sparkling traits with perfect comic timing, as she conveyed her funny
and amusing quality in comedy with sharp observations of script.
Parveen Babi had a comical and fun-loving attitude
with lively sense of humour in Kaalia, Khuddar, Mahaan, Rang Birangi and few more,
perfectly generated talent in movies.
She was fundamentally a very simple girl. This girl would
have been very happy if she found a very simple, ordinary man, a small-time
actor or even a struggling actor who was just a simple ordinary human being,
and who loved her.
Vinod Pandey
But one film I really enjoyed
doing was’ Ashanti’. There were no great portrayals. It wasn’t any Meryl Streep
type of role at all but it was great fun. I don’t eliminate the possibility of
production but when I do it I just will. it’s not that I am planning to get
into production or am avidly searching for scripts. if I one day find I have a
good script I will produce it. There’s such a dearth of good writers though.
Parveen
Babi
As we celebrate her birthday today, we look back nostalgically
and remember a beautiful soul Parveen Babi, she left a tremendous and lasting impression
convincingly in our subconsciousness and her memory shines in the golden annals
of Indian Cinema. Though she withdrew from fame at the height of stardom, nevertheless
Parveen Babi remains a treasure, forever young and beautiful.
To a Star
Thou
brightly-glittering star of
even,
Thou gem upon the
brow
of Heaven
Oh! were this
fluttering spirit
free,
How quick’t would
spread its
wings to thee.
by
Lucretia Maria Davidson
Anuradha Singh
4
th April,2020
a.singhlink@gmail.com
All quoted information is in the public domain
Copyright©2020 Anuradha Singh.
All rights reserved. This article or any portion thereof can not be reproduced
or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of
the author.
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