Shobhana Samarth | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Samarth inBharat Milap (1942) asSita | |
| Born | Saroj Shilotri (1916-11-17)17 November 1916 |
| Died | 9 February 2000(2000-02-09) (aged 83) |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, director, producer |
| Spouse | Kumarsen Samarth (sep.) |
| Partner | Motilal |
| Children | 4; incl.Nutan andTanuja |
| Parents |
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| Relatives | SeeSamarth family |
Shobhana Samarth (néeSaroj Shilotri; 17 November 1916 – 9 February 2000) was an Indian director, actress and producer, who began her career in the early days of talkie movies in theHindi film industry and continued in lead roles into the 1950s.
She started inMarathi cinema. Her firstHindi film,Nigahen Nafrat, was released in 1935. She is best remembered for her portrayal of Sita inRam Rajya (1943). In 1997, she was honoured with theFilmfare Special Award for her contribution to the arts.[1]
Samarth later produced and directed a pair of movies that launched the careers of her daughters,Nutan andTanuja.[2]
Shobhana was born on 17 November 1916 inBombay, British India, asSaroj Shilotri. An only child, her father Prabhakar Shilotri was a "pioneer banker", having started the Shilotri Bank in Bombay.[3] Her motherRattan Bai, in 1936, acted in the filmFrontiers of Freedom, in Marathi (Swarajyachya Seemewar).
Shobhna studied initially in Cathedral School, Bombay, for one year. In 1928, her father suffered financial losses and the business went into liquidation. The family then shifted toBangalore in 1931, where Shobhana attendedBaldwin Girls High School. To earn a living, her father taught students on a private basis, while her mother taught in aMarathi school.
In December that year, her father died of a heart attack and the mother and daughter returned to Bombay to stay with her maternal uncle. Shobhana studied in aconvent school, but was unable to complete her matriculation, as she had begun her film career by then. Shobhana also taught privately to make money.
During this time, she met her future husbandKumarsen Samarth, who had just returned from Germany and was keen on directing films. They got engaged and she started work on her first film.[4] Her uncle was opposed to her acting in films, and she and her mother moved out of his home (ironically his daughter and Shobhana's cousinNalini Jaywant herself became an actress).[5]
Shobana's first film wasOrphans Of Society (1935),[6] also calledNigahe Nafrat orVilasi Ishwar for Kolhapur Cinetone, directed byVinayak and starring Vinayak and Baburao Pendharkar. The film was not a success, but Shobhana was critically acclaimed for her role.[4]
The film was bilingual, made inUrdu and Marathi. Shobhana claims in an interview that she did not know any Urdu at that time of filming, speaking the dialogues by rote and it was only later that she picked up the language.[5] She was with Kolhapur Cinetone for thirteen months, but acted in one film.
She left Kolhapur Cinetone and joined Sagar Movietone (Sagar Film Company), where she acted in a film calledKokila (1937), directed bySarvottam Badami, starringMotilal, Sabita Devi andSitara Devi. Her other film for Sagar wasDo Diwane (1936), directed by C. M. Luhar and co-starring Motilal,Yakub andAruna Devi.
By the end of 1937, Shobhana left Sagar and joined General Films, acting inIndustrial India (Nirala Hindustan), directed by Mohan Sinha withPrem Adib and Wasti. The second film for them wasPati Patni (1939), directed by V. M. Gunjal with co-stars Yakub,Sitara Devi andWasti.
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By 1939, she had joined Hindustan Cinetone, making four films with them, which includedKaun Kisi ka (1939),Saubhagya (1940) by C. M. Luhar, andApni Nagariya (1940) by V. M. Gunjal. She then worked in a film directed by her husband, Kumar Sen Samarth, calledGhar Javai (1941), where she was cast with Damuanna Malvankar.
In 1942, came her career-defining filmBharat Milap, directed by Vijay Bhatt and starringDurga Khote as Kaikeyi, Shobhana as Sita andPrem Adib as Ram. Following this wasRam Rajya in 1943, and Shobhana became identified as Sita, leading to several other films where they recreated the roles. Shobhana asSita and Prem Adib asRama became extremely popular and were accepted by the audiences and had them featuring as Rama and Sita on calendars.[7]
She was frequently cast as the leading lady with the top heroes of the era likeAshok Kumar,Prithviraj Kapoor,Prem Adib,Shahu Modak,Trilok Kapoor,Mahipal,Jairaj etc
Shobhana was married to director and cinematographerKumarsen Samarth from Vile Parle (E), Mumbai. They had three daughters,Nutan,Tanuja and Chatura and a son, Jaideep. Eventually, the couple parted amicably, and Shobhana became linked to actorMotilal Rajvansh.[8][9]
Two of her daughters, Nutan and Tanuja, also became actresses. Shobhana produced their debut films. Her other daughter, Chatura, is an artist and her son Jaideep is an advertising film producer. Chatura and Jaideep never acted in films.
Nutan's sonMohnish Bahl is also an actor, as are Tanuja's daughtersKajol andTanishaa Mukerji. Kajol is married to actorAjay Devgan. Other members of the dynasty includeShomu Mukherjee, who married Tanuja.[10]
She and her daughter Nutan were estranged for more than two decades but reconciled in the year 1983 before Nutan's death from cancer in February 1991. At her own death from cancer in 2000,[11] Shobhana had seven granddaughters, one grandson, three great-granddaughters, and two great-grandsons.[12]
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