Dance is said to be the favourite art of Gods and Vyjayanthimala’s liquid grace made you believe in celestial dancers, pirouetting to the eternal harmonics of the Universe. The actress started dancing at an early age and was said to even have performed in front of the Pope at Vatican when she was just six. That’s talent for you. She extensively travelled all over the world giving command performances and showcasing Bharatnatyam. Apart from her dancing skills, the actor was noted for her elfin charm and her ability to mould herself to her characters. She has also learnt Carnatic vocal, is known to have a mean golf handicap and for a time successfully dabbled in politics as well. That’s a well-rounded personality, alright!
In 1960, Raj Kapoor shot Sangam with Vyjyanthimala. She was said to be romantically involved with Kapoor. Here, we see her with him at the Filmfare Awards.
Bridging the divide
Vyjayanthimala’s success as a dancer attracted her to Madras filmmakers and after much deliberation, she consented to play the lead in AVM productions, Vazhkai (1949). She was just 13 but received accolades for her nuanced performance in this social drama. AVM later made the film in Hindi as Bahar (1951). She took Hindi tuitions to dub for herself. She burst into stardom with a braveheart performance in Nagin (1954), where her dance on the song Man dole mera tan dole swept the audience off its feet. Her big moment came when Bimal Roy cast her as Chandramukhi in Devdas (1955). She created headlines when she refused the Filmfare Best Actress In Supporting Role trophy for the same, claiming that hers was a parallel and not a supporting role.
She excelled in Thiruppavi, a Tamil dance performed in praise of Lord Vishnu. The actress is rehearsing with her students.
Dev Anand is introducing Vyjayanthimala to HH Maharaja Jayachamaraya, Governor of Mysore in Bangalore.
She visited Hong Kong for one of her dance shows in 1970.
(L) With husband Dr Bali (right) and Mr Bruce Macklin, Australian marketing manager for Air India, outside the Sydney Opera House.
(R) Seen with her troupe before their departure for Paris where they performed for the Theatres des Nations Festivals.
In 1957, Vyjayanthimala was seen with Kishore Kumar in Aasha. Best known for the song Eena Meena Deeka..., this courtroom drama with humour was a superhit.
Romancing stardom
Thanks to their chemistry in films like Naya Daur (1957), Madhumati (1958) and Gunga Jumna (1961), she was romantically linked to Dilip Kumar. There were rumours of an affair with Raj Kapoor too post Sangam (1964). Nevertheless, Vyjayanthimala was on a roll as an actor, giving hits after hits like Leader (1964), Amrapali (1966), where she showcased her dance prowess, as also the thriller Jewel Thief (1967).
The actress at one of her rallies with husband, Dr Bali (right) and Mr Haja Sheriff (left), a Congress candidate.
The actress presents a cheque for the Defence Fund to Maharastra’s then Finance Minister SK Wankhede after her ballet Azhagar Kuramanji.
Vyjayanthimala married Dr Chamanlal Bali after which she terminated her acting career. Rajendra Kumar blesses the couple.
(L) Hollywood actress Shirley Maclaine with a bedecked Vyjayanthimala before a performance.
(R) She was conferred with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the highest Indian recognition given to practising artists. The award was presented to Vyjayanthimala in 1982 for her contribution to Bharatnatyam.
In 1995, she was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award on the prestigious Filmfare stage. Seen in this picture is the actress with Kishore Kumar and Sunil Dutt.
Marriage bond
Dr Chamanlal Bali, Raj Kapoor’s doctor and friend, fell in love with her and proposed marriage. She married in 1968 and relocated to Chennai. Sungarsh (1968), was her last hit. She entered politics and in 1985 won a seat in the Lok Sabha. Later, she was nominated to the Rajya Sabha. Currently, she devotes herself to promoting Indian classical dance and music.
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