This actress made debut at 16, rejected working with Amitabh Bachchan, gave several superhits, did not speak to her juniors because…, her name is…

This actress has worked with several big names like Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and others. Her career spans in politics too.

In the early 80-90s, it was very common for actors to make their debut as young as teenagers. They would bag roles for lead and would climb the ladder of success with the rite of passage. This is the story of one of the first female superstars in India. She began her career from south and rose to the mainstream silver screen of Bollywood very quickly. There’s never been a dull moment in her 65-year-long illustrious career. She made a debut as sweet sixteen teenager and her trajectory boasts of working with some of the leading actors of the time.

The actress is one of the most renowned personalities who has a career in dancing and politics too (No, not Hema Malini). Her name is Vyjanthimala Bali. She was conferred with the second highest civilian award In India -Padma Vibhushan – in 2024.

Making Debut at 16 to Wining Padma Vibhushan at 90

Vyjayanthimala was born on August 13, 1936, in Chennai, as Vasundhata Devi. She received classical training in Bharatanatyam. Eventually she made her screen debut in Tamil film ‘Vazhkai’ and her maiden movie in Bollywood was ‘Bahar’ starring the famous actor Pran. One film at a time, she amassed love and fame and there was no turning back. Her notable works include- Devdas, Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, Amrapali, Nagin, Madhumati, Sangam, Ganga Jamuna -to name a few.

Actress Who Refused to Work With Amitabh Bachchan

Vyjanthimala has always known to stand her ground. In an old interview she once revealed that she has no regrets refusing ‘Deewar’ (1975) starring Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Neetu Singh, Parveen Babi. She was first offered to play the role of mother instead of Nirupa Roy. “Everyone knows I was offered ‘Deewaar.’ I was also offered ‘Kranti’ by Manoj Kumarji. Then much later Kamal Haasan wanted me to play his mother in ‘Vishwaroopam.’ He wanted an expert danseuse. I suggested Waheedaji’s name,’ shared Vjyanthimala while confessing that she doesn’t regret rejecting the role in ‘Deewaar,'” the veteran actress confessed in an interview with ETimes. She further explained, “Once I made up my mind to quit and get married there was no turning back. My last film was ‘Ganwaar’ in 1970. It is good to quit while one is still ahead, don’t you think?”

The veteran star has witnessed stardom at its peak. One of her contemporaries Mumtaz, once hinted how she would not speak with her “juniors”. The ‘Sone Ki Chidiya’ actress in an old interview with Dawn News said, “Vo logg toh bohot bade the aur hum toh chote the, they didn’t like mingling with us. There were a few exceptions like Waheeda (Rehman) ji. She used to be very down to earth. Vyjayanthimala also belonged to the same era, but she didn’t talk to me.”  She explained how “Some people don’t want to talk to people inferior to them.” in the same conversation.

She served as a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament, from 1984 to 1990 and actively participated in debates on various socio-political issues during her tenure. Vyjayanthimala has a remarkable contributions to Indian cinema and dance repository. She is remembered as one of the most iconic and influential personalities in the history of Indian cinema.