Vyjayanthimala | |
|---|---|
 Vyjayanthimala at Stardust Awards 2013 | |
| Born | Vyjayanthimala Raman (1933-08-13)13 August 1933 (age 91) |
| Occupation(s) | Actress,Indian classical dancer,Carnatic singer,politician |
| Years active | 1949–1970 |
| Works | Full list |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Suchindra Bali[1] |
| Mother | Vasundhara Devi |
| Awards | Full list |
| Honours |
|
| Member of ParliamentLok Sabha | |
| In office 1984–1991 | |
| Preceded by | Ramaswamy Venkataraman |
| Succeeded by | R. Sridharan |
| Constituency | Chennai South |
| Member of Parliament,Rajya Sabha | |
| In office 27 August 1993 – 26 August 1999 | |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Bharatiya Janata Party (1999–present) |
| Other political affiliations | Indian National Congress (1984–1999) |
| Signature | |
 | |
Vyjayanthimala Bali (néeRaman; born 13 August 1933), known mononymously asVyjayanthimala, is an Indianparliamentarian, dancer and former actress. Regarded as one ofHindi cinema's finest actresses and dancers, she is the recipient ofseveral accolades, including fourFilmfare Awards and twoBFJA Awards. Considered the first female superstar ofIndian Cinema,[3] she made her screen debut at the age of 16 with theTamil filmVaazhkai (1949), and followed this with a role in theTelugu filmJeevitham (1950). Her first work inHindi cinema was thesocial guidance filmBahar (1951), which she headlined, and achieved her breakthrough with theromanceNagin (1954).
She garnered widespread critical acclaim for her role in theperiod dramaDevdas (1955), where she playedChandramukhi, atawaif with a heart of gold. The film and her acting was highly praised, later considered to be hermagnum opus. ForDevdas, she won theFilmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress which she refused, stating that she played a leading role equal to that ofSuchitra Sen, her co-star, and so she could not accept the award for a supporting role. She went on to star in series of commercial successes, which include the romanceNew Delhi (1956), thesocial dramaNaya Daur (1957) and thecomedyAasha (1957). Her roles in the social dramaSadhna (1958) and theparanormal romanceMadhumati (1958), each earned her a nomination for theFilmfare Awards for Best Actress, winning for the former which makes her the first ever actor to receive dual nominations in an acting category in thesame year. The nominations also makes her the first-ever multi-nominee across all categories. This win makes her the first performer in Filmfare history to win in both leading and supporting categories.
In the 1960s, thecrime dramaGunga Jumna (1961) saw Vyjayanthimala playing a rustic village belle, Dhanno, a role which won her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. She won the award again for the musical romantic dramaSangam (1964). She went on reinvent her image, earning a mixed reception after notably appearing in aone-piece swimsuit in a film role. She later achieved acclaim for her performance in thehistorical dramaAmrapali (1966) which was based on the life ofNagarvadhu, royalcourtesan ofVaishali,Amrapali. Her notable successes following were theswashbuckler filmSuraj (1966), theheist filmJewel Thief (1967), thebengaliart filmHatey Bazarey (1967), theactiondrama filmSunghursh (1968) and theepic filmPrince (1969).
In 1968, she was awarded thePadma Shri by theGovernment of India, the fourth-highest civilian honor. After a starring role in the filmGanwaar (1970), Vyjayanthimala retired from the acting industry. She has since gained popularity for her dancing, particularly for her work inBharata Natyam, a form ofIndian classical dance, and was later given theSangeet Natak Akademi Award, the highest Indian recognition given to practising artists. In 2024, she was awarded thePadma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian honor granted by the Government of India.
She was born in Chennai :Triplicane nearParthasarathy Temple in aTamilIyengarBrahmin family to Mandyam Dhati Raman andVasundhara Devi.[4] She was raised primarily by her grandmother, Yadugiri Devi. Her mother tongue isTamil. Her mother was a leading actress inTamil Cinema in the 1940s where herMangama Sabatham was the first Tamil film to be declared a "colossal" hit at the box office.[4]
At the age of 7, Vyjayanthimala was chosen to perform a classical Indian dance forPope Pius XII while her mother was an audience in 1940 atVatican City.[5] Vyjayanthimala attended Sacred Heart Higher Secondary School, Presentation Convent, Church Park, Chennai.[6] She learnedBharatnatyam from Guru Vazhuvoor Ramiah Pillai andCarnatic music from Manakkal Sivaraja Iyer. She had herarangetram at the age of 13 and started performing inTamil Nadu later.[6] Her maternal uncle isY. G. Parthasarathy. In 1938, her grandfather, Mandyam Dhati Gopalacharya, started a nursing home on Narayan Shastri Road, Mysore.
In her heyday, Vyjayanthimala was the subject of many controversies, particularly for her misconstrued relationships with her co-stars. In the early 1960s, actorRaj Kapoor had commenced the filming ofSangam with Vyjayanthimala playing the female lead along withRajendra Kumar and Kapoor himself as the male lead. The filming took four years to finish. During this time Vyjayanthimala is said to have been romantically involved with Kapoor and almost married him. Initially, she was vexed with him and kept him at a distance. However, Kapoor did not give up over her attitude. However, Vyjayanthimala in her autobiography mentioned that it was a publicity stunt by newspapers in North India to link her with Raj Kapoor and that she was never in any relationship with him.
Vyjayanthimala married the already married Chamanlal Bali, aPunjabi HinduArya Samaji from Delhi but lived inAnna Salai,Chennai in 1968. After marriage, she gave up her acting career and moved to Chennai. However, between 1968 and 1970, she shot for those films which she had signed before her marriage, such asPyar Hi Pyar,Prince andGanwaar. They have a son,Suchindra Bali. In 2007, she published her autobiography, titledBonding, with Jyoti Sabarwal as a co-writer.
Vyjayanthimala is a devoutVaishnavaHindu and a vegetarian.[7][8] She grew up listening toholychants anddevotional songs.[9] She is an admirer ofAandaal,[10] one of the 12Alvar saints of Hinduism.[7] She prays toGoddess Saraswati before any public performance to gain her blessing.[7] In February 2024, at age 90, she took part inRaag Sewa performance series atRam Mandir, Ayodhya, with a Bharatnatyam dance recital, and its video soon became viral on social media.[11][12]
When directorM. V. Raman was looking for a new face to cast inAVM Productions'sVazhkai (1949), he saw Vyjayanthimala performing Bharata Natyam in Chennai's Gokhale Hall.[13] He tried to convince her grandmother, who was apprehensive about Vyjayanthimala joining films as she felt her grand daughter was too young to act in the films and also it would come in the way of her education and dance.[6] Vyjayanthimala barely at 13 played a college girl named Mohana Shivashankaralingam and acted along with senior actorsS. V. Sahasranamam, M. S. Draupadi,T. R. Ramachandran and K. Sankarapani. The movie was a big success and was remade inTelugu after one year asJeevitham (1950) with a slightly different cast, namelyC. H. Narayana Rao,S. Varalakshmi andC. S. R. Anjaneyulu. This film enjoyed great success upon release.[6] For theTelugu version, Vyjayanthimala did her own voice dubbing with a little assistance from her father who knewTelugu well and coached her during the filming process.[6] Vyjayanthimala also did a guest appearance in the 1950 filmVijayakumari which had actressT. R. Rajakumari in adual role.[14] She danced for the song "laalu...laalu...laalu" which was choreographed byVedantam Raghavayya.[14] Though the film was not a commercial success, her western-style of dance became popular and was considered one of the major highlights of the film.[14] The success of her Tamil filmVazhkai in South India inspiredAVM Productions to remake it in Hindi asBahar in 1951. In their first Hindi venture, they decided to cast Vyjayanthimala again in the lead role with Karan Dewan,Om Prakash andPandari Bai (who was credited as Padmini in the film).[15] She learnedHindi at the Hindi Prachar Sabha to dub her own voice for her character in the film.[6] Upperstall.com in their review, wrote that "She does bring the film to life with her dances though, something which was new then for the North Indian audience".[16] The film became sixth highest-grossing film of 1951 with a verdict of box office hit.[17] After the success of her debut films in all three languages, Vyjayanthimala again acted in amultilingual film which was produced byAvichi Meiyappa Chettiar ofAVM Productions.[6] The first version was in Tamil asPenn (1954) where she co-starred with actorGemini Ganesan,S. Balachander andAnjali Devi. "Kalyanam...venum" sung byJ. P. Chandrababu for Balachander became an instant hit.[18] The second version was in Telugu titledSangham (1954) which was released in the same year withN. T. Rama Rao,[19] Vyjayanthimala, S. Balachandran and Anjali Devi in the lead. The Tamil and the Telugu films were big successes across South India.[20] The film was once again remade in Hindi asLadki (1953) starringKishore Kumar andBharat Bhushan, while Vyjayanthimala, along with Anjali Devi, reprised her role from the original film. Her performance was described byUpperstall.com as, "Vyjayanthimala's dances are the film's saving grace although it is unintentionally funny now to see how deliberate and obviously tacky the sequences are which lead into her dances... Ladki too makes no real demands on "feminist" tomboy Vyjayanthimala histrionically".[21] The film emerged as the second highest-grossing film of 1953.[22]In 1954, Vyjayanthimala acted in the romanceNagin (1954) withPradeep Kumar. The film got favourable responses from the audience and became the highest-grossing film of 1954 where it was labelled as ablockbuster at the box-office.[23] Her performance as theNagi tribe's chief got Mala favourable reviews from critics, as in 1955, a critic fromFilmfare magazine had said that "Vyjayanthimala in the title role puts over a commendable performance besides looking ravishingly beautiful as the belle of the hills. Her dancing, too, is very graceful, specially in those eye-filling colour sequences and delightful ballets towards the finish", while inThe Hindu review Vijay Lokapally similarly praised her portrayal: "The ethereal Vyjayanthimala, barely 18, illuminates the screen with her stunning beauty, moving around daintily from one song to the other... The close-up shots of Vyjayanthimala highlight her ability to convey so much with so little effort... Nagin was a precursor to her rise in Hindi cinema as an iconic actor, who combined her talents, performing and dancing, to rule the screen on her terms... biggest recall values of Nagin are Vyjayanthimala".[24][25] PostNagin, Vyjayanthimala had established herself as one of the leading actresses in Hindi films because of the film's nationwide success.[25][26]Hemant Kumar's music and her dance on the song, "Man Dole, Mera tan dole", rendered byLata Mangeshkar was one of the highlights of the film.[25] In the same year she acted inMiss Mala withKishore Kumar, which was a box office success. Vyjayanthimala debuted inKannada cinema through a film calledAsha Nirasha which was produced by G. D. Venkatram.[27] The film hadLata Mangeshkar,Asha Bhosle andMohammed Rafi as the playback singers,[27] but the film was unreleased,[28] though the producer's son Srikant Venkatram claimed that the film was released and flopped miserably at box office which made the film obscure.[27]
In 1955, Vyjayanthimala acted in five Hindi films. The first one was directorAbdur Rashid Kardar'sYasmin alongside actor Suresh, which won theFilmfare Award for Best Cinematography for Dwarka Divecha. Besides that, she also starred in three other films,Pehli Jhalak withKishore Kumar,Sitara withPradeep Kumar andJashan with Karan Dewan. Eventually all her four films released in 1955 failed at the box office. The same year,Bimal Roy cast her asChandramukhi oppositeDilip Kumar in the critically acclaimedDevdas, which was the adaptation of the novel with sametitle bySharat Chandra Chatterji. The industry initially was not in favour of this choice when they heard about Vyjayanthimala being cast in Bimal Roy's film, the response being: "Why don't you take comedianKishore Kumar as Devdas?".[29] InitiallyNargis was selected for Chandramukhi's role, but she refused to accept the role. The role was later offered toBina Rai andSuraiya but they too turned it down as they wanted to essay the lead role of Paro, which was earlier offered toMeena Kumari.[30] Subsequently, the film unit suffered withfinancial crisis and at this point Vyjayanthimala offered to do the role of Chandramukhi, where she said toBimal Roy, "I am ready if you think I can do it".[30] On the other hand,Nabendu Ghosh, the script writer ofDevdas, said that, "I did not approve of Vyjayanthimala [as Chandramukhi], but we had no option – no one wanted to play Chandramukhi, and we were committed to our distributors... She was, of course, a very good actress, but she was too young for Chandramukhi, as envisioned by Saratbabu".[30] On her performance,Rediff wrote: "Vyjayanthimala imbues Chandramukhi with true sympathy. Who better than Chandramukhi would know the pain of a hopeless love?... Vyjayanthimala, a star after the blockbuster Nagin, still had to establish her acting credentials when Roy went against the tide and cast her in the role of Chandramukhi".[31] Subsequently, she won theFilmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress but refused to accept it, stating that her role was a leading one and in equal importance to the role played bySuchitra Sen and notsupporting.[32] In 2006, a poll conducted byRediff ranked her role of Chandramukhi as one of the besttawaif characters inHindi films.[33] Subsequently, the same role was listed inThe Times of India's "10 Celluloid Hookers You Loved" at number six byNikhat Kazmi.[34] Though the film was critically successful, it did not garner much support at the box-office and ended up as the tenth highest-grossing film of the year with an average verdict.[35]
After being recognised as a capable actress withDevdas, Vyjayanthimala acted in successful movies in 1956, namelyTaj,Patrani andAnjaan: Somewhere in Delhi – all three films withPradeep Kumar as the hero andKismet Ka Khel withSunil Dutt. In the same year, she also acted inswashbuckler filmDevta, which was a remake of the hugely successful Tamil filmKanavaney Kankanda Deivam.[36] Surprisingly though, she accepted a supporting role as avamp which was originally done byLalitha in the Tamil version. However, according to Upperstall.com, her role was very crucial in the film and her portrayal as the Naag Rani accompanied by her dance is the main attraction of the film.[37] Also starring in the movie, reprising their lead roles from the original, wereGemini Ganesan andAnjali Devi.[36] Meanwhile, she was signed bySohrab Modi for his filmRajhath oppositePradeep Kumar. However, due to her scheduling problems she was replaced byMadhubala.[38]Vyjayanthimala then acted withKishore Kumar again in theromantic comedyNew Delhi, which became the fifth highest-grossing film of 1956.[39] The film showcases a love that sprouts between aPunjabi boy, played Kishore Kumar, and aTamil girl, played by Vyjayanthimala. Her performance was applauded by fans and critics alike; a review onUpperstall.com regarding her performance in the film states that: "Vyjayanthimala proves to be the perfect foil for Kishore Kumar...has always had the mandatory dance sequence in practically every film of hers evoking "classical art" associations. She excels in the two main dances in New Delhi – the solo Bharatnatayam Aliruppu number and the Bhangra folk dance in her Punjabi avatar and she is absolutely brilliant in the Bhangra folk dance...in her second avatar. Even Vyjayanthimala played a Punjabi girl and most successfully too".[40] Subsequently, she did a Tamil film calledMarma Veeran, along with Sriram,Rajasulochana,M. N. Rajam,J. P. Chandrababu andV. Nagayya. The film had some of theSouth Indian established actors such asN. T. Rama Rao,Sivaji Ganesan andGemini Ganesan in aguest appearance.In 1957, directorB. R. Chopra planned to makeNaya Daur, withAshok Kumar in the lead. However, the actor refused to accept this role and it later went toDilip Kumar.[41] For the female lead, the first choice of the director was the biggest star-actress of those days,Madhubala. But, as fate would have it, after 15 days of initial shooting atMumbai, the director wanted the unit to travel toBhopal for an extended outdoor shooting. However, Ataullah Khan, the father ofMadhubala, objected to this and the role went to Vyjayanthimala. Chopra later sued Madhubala for the cash advance she received from him for the film, saying that she accepted the sum and now had no intention of completing it.[42] Vyjyanthimala had previously acted with Dilip Kumar inDevdas and the duo shared an easy chemistry on-screen. The new film,Naya Daur, had a theme of "Man vs. machine", and Vyjanthi's portrayal of village belle Rajni received positive reviews from critics. A review fromRediff says that: "Vyjayanthimala too is not your average petulant "gaon ki gori". She ably projects a hands-on worker who comes up with ideas on how to ford a stream and risks her life to save the bridge... wonderful scene between two stars whose chemistry is undeniable"[43] while reviewerTaran Adarsh fromBollywood Hungama mentions that: "Commendable performances come in from Vyjayantimala [natural]...The relationships [Dilip Kumar-Vyjayantimala] are so human and believable".[44] At the end of its theatrical run, the film had collected around₹ 54,000,000, thus becoming the second highest-grossing film of 1957,[45] second only to the critically acclaimedMother India, which became thehighest-grossing Hindi language film ever at the time.[46] Following that, Vyjayanthimala almost signed for the lead role inFilmistan'sTumsa Nahin Dekha oppositeDev Anand in 1957, but due to the producerSashadhar Mukherjee's promise to actorShammi Kapoor, he replaced Dev Anand withShammi Kapoor.[47] However, the directorNasir Hussain was in a quandary as he had already read the script to Dev Anand and Vyjayanthimala, but Mukerji prevailed and he also replaced Vyjayanthimala withAmeeta, who was the protégée ofFilmistan Studios owner Tolaram Jalan.[47] Vyjayanthimala's next release wasKathputli, in which she co-starred with actorBalraj Sahni for the first time.[48] This film was about a young girl named Pushpa who, on account of being a good dancer and singer, assists puppeteer Shivraj in his puppet show. This film was directorAmiya Chakravarty's last film.[49] He died during the filming ofKathputli and the remaining project was completed by directorNitin Bose.[49]Kathputli remains one of the memorable films of Vyjayanthimala which has an offbeat theme with aPygmalion touch.[49] Vyjayanthimala then acted inEk Jhalak withRajendra Kumar andPradeep Kumar, which was produced by the latter with his home production companyDeep & Pradeep Productions.[50] She returned to the screen again withKishore Kumar in the 1957 partially colour-made filmAasha[51] which became a hit at the box office.[52] The story revolves around the central character Kishore, played by Kishore Kumar, who, despite being a Zamindar, believes in helping the needy. Vyjayanthimala, as Nirmala, plays the lover of Kishore. The story suddenly goes from being light-hearted and humorous to a court-drama when Kishore is falsely accused of murder. The rest of the movie sees both the protagonists trying to prove Kishore's innocence. The movie is best known for its song "Eena Meena Dekha" sung byKishore Kumar andAsha Bhosle, in two different versions.[51]Aasha also introduced actressAsha Parekh to the silver screen, in a song alongside Vyjayanthimala, whom Parekh described as hermatinee idol.[53]
The following year proved to be very successful for Vyjayanthimala, since she signed oppositeDilip Kumar inBimal Roy'sMadhumati in the title role. Originally supposed to essay four roles, the director finally scaled it down to three, Madhumati, Madhavi and Radha.[54] The film was launched in front of theKarlovy Vary International Film Festival Theatre inCzechoslovakia.[55] During the filming in the hills ofNainital, Vyjayanthimala was required to dance barefoot where she tripped on a stone and fell, hurting herself badly and causing damage to herfibre tissues in thesole of her foot.[56] Roy, who was terrified and in a quandary over the incident as the shooting could not be stopped insisted on her wearingsandals which made it difficult for her during running sequences.[57] Even after the completion of Madhumati, she still encountered the pain from the injury which always reminded her of Madhumati's shooting experience.[56] Written byRitwik Ghatak, the film is about Devendra, played by Dilip Kumar, who takes shelter during a storm in an abandoned house. Here he discovers a painting of the owner of the house Raja Ugranarayan, painted by him in his previous life when he was Anand, also played by Dilip Kumar, and worked as a foreman on a plantation of Raja Ugranarayan. Devendra had been in love with Madhumati, played by Vyjayanthimala. She had committed suicide while trying to save herself from Ugranarayan's advances. Madhumati's ghost finally takes revenge on Ugranarayan.[58] The film was well received by critics and audience, and it became highest grossing Hindi language film of 1958[59] and was labelled as a blockbuster at the box office and ended up as the fifth highest-grossing film of the decade with its net adjusted to inflation to about₹ 586.4 million.[60] Her performance as Madhavi, Radha and the ghost Madhumati earned her accolades from critics. Shahid Khan from Planetbollywood.com said: "Vyjayantimala has never been one of my most favourite actresses but this is one of the few performances where I am completely bowled over by her. Her expressions while playing both the main characters are perfect. With Madhumati, she brings the wonder, surprise and innocence needed in the person. With Madhavi, she brings the poise, the curiosity and pity for the grief that Anand is going through",[61] and Karan Bali from Upperstall.com wrote that: "For Vyjayanthimala, the film showcases both her acting as well as dancing abilities and the dizzying success ofMadhumati took Vyjayanthimala to the highest rungs of stardom...to cap off an extremely successful year for her. Both, as an actress of considerable dramatic merit and as a star".[62]Madhumati came to be known as the first film which dealt with the theme ofreincarnation and had agothicnoir feel to it.[63] The film later inspired films such asMilan (1967),The Reincarnation of Peter Proud (1975),Mehbooba (1976),Kudrat (1980),Karz (1980),Karan Arjun (1995) and particularlyOm Shanti Om (2007) which had also lifted the film's climax which led toRinki Bhattacharya, the late Roy's daughter accusing the film of plagiarism and threatening legal action against its producers.[64][65] The same month she had another release,B. R. Chopra'sSadhna alongsideSunil Dutt. Vyjayanthimala was the second choice for the role of Champabai, the prostitute, after actressNimmi who hesitated to play the role of a prostitute, which arguably led to her career decline.[66] TheFilmfare award-winning story byMukhram Sharma revolves around Rajini, enacted by Vyjayanthimala, a prostitute's love affair with a professor, played bySunil Dutt.[67] Chopra, who previously directed Vyjayanthimala inNaya Daur, had adapted the theme on the rehabilitation of prostitutes which was then a controversial topic in India.[68] Along with the film, her performance received universal acclaim, as told by Vijay Lokapally fromThe Hindu: "Among the great movies made on the subject of helpless women versus society, Sadhna holds its own for its realistic portrayal and treatment of a subject, so aesthetically documented by Chopra and Vyjayanthimala" and praised the latter "gorgeous when she entertains the clients at her kotha...stunningly restrained when she assumes the character of a prospective wife".[69] Similarly,Rediff's criticDinesh Raheja has commented that: "But finally, the show belongs to Vyjayanthimala. Fetchingly frivolous in the first half, she is suitably serious in the second. She makes her need for acceptance palpable; her eyes emit twin lasers of anger and condemnation at those that exploit women".[70]Sadhna also performed well at the box office where it became fifth highest-grossing film of 1958 with trade pundits declaring the film a box office hit.[71] Subsequently, Vyjayanthimala received two nominations for theFilmfare Award for Best Actress forMadhumati andSadhna, winning her first trophy for the latter, after having refused to accept theBest Supporting Actress trophy forDevdas (1955) earlier. Her next release wasAmar Deep, where she was paired against Dev Anand for the first time.[72] A production ofSivaji Ganesan'sSivaji Productions, the film was a remake of 1956 Tamil filmAmara Deepam, which had Ganesan himself in the lead.[73] Along withPadmini, who reprised her role from the original,[74] Vyjayanthimala plays the role of Aruna which was originally performed by actressSavitri in Tamil.[75] Her other releases of 1958Sitaroan Ke Aage andPiya Milan became average successes.
In 2011, in conjunction with actor Dev Anand's death, Vyjayanthimala recollected her memories during the filming inMadras, where she remembers the actor calling her "Papa", the Tamil termed that was used by her family and friends, and he would search for her throughout the sets while yelling "where is Papa, where is my heroine".[76] According to Subhash Chheda, whenAmar Deep was released, the long-awaited airing of Vyjayanthimala and Dev Anand was compared to theMadhubala and Dev Anand pair, where the public gave the verdict that: "If Madhubala brooks no equality, Vyjayanthimala admits no superiority".[54] The film was liked by audience, but it failed to turn the Vyjayanthimala and Dev Anand team into a hit pair.[54] The same year Vyjayanthimala was booked byM. G. Ramachandran for his second directorial venturePonniyin Selvan.[77] One of the first screen adaptations ofKalki Krishnamurthy'sPonniyin Selvan, the film had a hugeensemble cast consisting ofSavitri,Gemini Ganesan,Padmini,Saroja Devi, M. N. Rajam andNagesh along with Ramachandran and Vyjayanthimala.[78] In the film, she was given the role ofKundavai, the elder sister ofRaja Raja Chola I, played by Ganesan and the wife ofVallavaraiyan Vandiyadevan, played by Ramachandran.[78] However, in mid-1958 the film was shelved for unknown reasons.[77] The same year she did another Tamil filmGemini Pictures'smagnum opusVanjikottai Valiban along with Gemini Ganesan and Padmini.[79] Written by Gemini Story Department which was headed byKothamangalam Subbu, theBlack-and-whiteepic film was produced and directed byS. S. Vasan.[79] She played the role of Princess Mandakini, the beautiful princess of Ratna Island Kingdom. As a stubborn princess, she always wanted to achieve her ambition in any deed which led to her ultimate death and formed the climax. The film had a great theatrical run where the film completed 100 days run at cinemas and was labelled as a blockbuster at the box office.[80][81] The film is still remembered for the dance of Vyjayanthimala and Padmini in the song "Kannum Kannum Kalanthu" which was choreographed by Hiralal, and was well received by critics and audience alike, wherein the popularity of the song surpassed the popularity garnered by the film.[79] The song is still regarded as one of the best dance sequences inIndian cinema.[82]Vanjikottai Valiban was followed by its Hindi version titledRaj Tilak. Screenplay of the film was byRamanand Sagar. The film was directed by S. S. Vasan with Gemini Ganesan, Padmini, Vyjayanthimala in the lead.[83] The film was hit at the box office, still it was unable to achieve the same box office success made by the Tamil version.[54] By the end of the year,The Indian Express named Vyjayanthimala as the most successful female star of 1958.[54] Similarly, Boxofficeindia.com ranked Vyjayanthimala at the top spot in their list of "Top Three Successful Box Office Actresses of 1958".[26] In 1959, Vyjayanthimala reunited withDilip Kumar for the fourth time in the bilingualPaigham. Produced and directed byS. S. Vasan, the film featured the lead actors along withRaaj Kumar,B. Saroja Devi,Pandari Bai andMotilal.[84] Besides them, Vyjayanthimala's real-life motherVasunthara Devi also acted in a small role where she played the role of mother to her own daughter whodied in vain.[85] Upon releasePaigham became second highest-grossing film of 1959 with the verdict of a box office hit.[86] The same year she did a Tamil filmAthisaya Penn, where she co-starred with Telugu actorAkkineni Nageswara Rao for the first time.Athisaya Penn was a remake ofAasha, which again was directed by M. V. Raman. She acted opposite Pradeep Kumar in the romantic filmJawani Ki Hawa in 1959.
In 1960, Vyjayanthimala mostly concentrated on Tamil films to keep in touch with the industry.[6] Her first release in 1960 wasS. S. Vasan'sIrumbu Thirai, the Tamil version ofPaigham.[87] She starred oppositeSivaji Ganesan for the second time after the latter's cameo appearance inMarma Veeran (1956).[88] Along with Vyjayanthimala, all the female cast includingB. Saroja Devi,Pandari Bai andVasunthara Devi reprised their roles from the original withS. V. Ranga Rao in Motilal's role andK. A. Thangavelu inRaaj Kumar's character.[89] The film was followed byRaja Bakthi, again with Sivaji Ganesan.Raja Bakthi had hugeensemble cast featuringP. Bhanumathi,Padmini,T. S. Balaiah andE. V. Saroja. Her subsequent release wasD. Yoganand'smagnum opusParthiban Kanavu. Co-starringGemini Ganesan for the third time andB. Saroja Devi for the second time, the film was based onKalki Krishnamurthy's 1942 novel with thesame name.[77] Apart from Tamil, the film was produced in Telugu and Sinhala languages.[90] Upon release the film met with positive response from the critics and was awarded theNational Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil at the8th National Film Awards.[91] However, the film did not fare well at the box office, but Vyjayanthimala's performance was appreciated by critics.[92] She also acted oppositeM. G. Ramachandran for the first time inBaghdad Thirudan.[93] Meanwhile, she did a Hindi film titledCollege Girl oppositeShammi Kapoor, which fared average at the box office and was declared as the eighteenth highest-grossing film of the year.[94]
Following successful re-entry in Tamil cinema, Vyjayanthimala then signedDilip Kumar's home production filmGunga Jumna. Having been inspired by the 1934Manhattan Melodrama, the film was one of the first Hindi films to deal with the theme based on two brothers on opposite sides of law.[95] Directed byNitin Bose, she co-starred with Kumar for the fifth time afterDevdas,Naya Daur,Madhumati andPaigham. In thisdacoit drama, she enacted the role of Dhanno, awasherwoman who falls for childhood friend Gunga, played by Kumar and eventually killed during a gun fight. To prepare herself for that role, Vyjayanthimala had to learn theBhojpuri, a Hindi languagedialect spoken by people inEast India region. She was assisted by Kumar, who chose the shade ofsaree that Vyjayanthimala would wear in every scene. Upon release, the film opened to widespread critical acclaim from the critics. Her performance earned her rave reviews. Dinesh Raheja fromRediff said that: "Gunga Jumna deployed several crowd-pleasing elements...most of all, an enchanting relationship between Dilip Kumar and Vyjayanthimala... Their characterisation ran so deep, which helped Dilip Kumar and Vyjayanthimala give magnetic performances. Dilip is of course a thespian, but Vyjayanthimala is a revelation"; while K. K. Rai fromStardust applauded her performance by adding "Vyjayanthimala played the village woman with such simplicity and grace; you’d forget she was one of the most glamorous stars of her time. She also spoke the Bhojpuri dialect like a native".[96][97] Critics praised Vyjayanthimala for her ability to master the Bhojpuri dialect despite her South Indian upbringing. Subsequently, the film enjoyed huge success at the box office across India. At the end of its theatrical run, the film grossed around₹ 70,000,000 with a net gross of₹35,000,000 and a verdict of a blockbuster.[98] The film was the Highest-grossing film of 1961, and was the third highest grossing Hindi film of the decade behindMughal-e-Azam andSangam, another Kumar and Vyjayanthimala starrer respectively.[99] The film was ranked second by Boxofficeindia.co.in behindMughal-e-Azam in their list of "Top 50 Film of Last 50 Years", which features all-time highest grossing Hindi films by using the relative price of gold in different years to arrive at a hypothetical current value of box office collections of past films for its adjustment to inflation rate.₹7.36 billion (US$86 million).[100] For her performance, Vyjayanthimala was awarded with theFilmfare Award for Best Actress trophy at the9th Filmfare Awards.[101] In addition to that, she also won her first everBengal Film Journalists' Association Awards in the Best Actress category.[102]
In the same year, she starred inC. V. Sridhar'sNazrana. In this remake of the highly successful 1959 Tamil filmKalyana Parisu, again directed by Sridhar, she acted alongsideRaj Kapoor for the first time. She played the role of Vasanthi, wherein she replaced actressB. Saroja Devi who did not reprise her role fromKadhal Parisu and its Telugu remakePelli Kanuka.[103] The triangular love story received an average run at cinemas and ended up as the twelfth highest-grossing film of that year.[98] The same year she did another film with Sridhar. Being the first Tamil film to be shot inJammu and Kashmir, she acted alongsideGemini Ganesan after a long gap afterThen Nilavu.[104] The film and the soundtrack were widely appreciated by the audience, where it was a huge success.[105][106] The film was followed byJ. Om Prakash'sAas Ka Panchhi withRajendra Kumar.[107] For her portrayal, Vyjayanthimala got some negative feedback from the critics;The Hindu review said that: "Even the otherwise powerhouse of talent, Vyjayantimala, with many a sterling performance under her belt, barely passes muster, despite the usual dance and song sequence to showcase her formidable prowess as an accomplished dancer thrown in".[108] Despite some mixed reviews, the film was labelled as a hit at the box office and was declared the fourth highest-grossing film of 1961 where it had asilver jubilee run at the theatres.[98][109] Her career then struggled again with some box office duds in the following year. In 1962, she co-starred withManoj Kumar inDr. Vidya, which performed average at the box office.[110]Dr. Vidya was followed by two more box officedisappointments,Rungoli withKishore Kumar andJhoola withSunil Dutt. In 1963, she co-starred withSivaji Ganesan in theHistorical fictionChittoor Rani Padmini. Written byC. V. Sridhar and directed byChitrapu Narayana Rao, the film proved to be a box office failure, however, her performance was critically acclaimed. The same yearBimal Roy who earlier worked with her inDevdas andMadhumati offered her the lead role inBandini oppositeAshok Kumar andDharmendra.[111] However, Vyjayanthimala could not accept the role due to her busy schedule.[112] Boxofficeindia.com ranked Vyjayanthimala at the top spot in their list of "Top Three Successful Box Office Actress" of 1962 and 1963 respectively, despite her box office failures.[26]
Following a two-yearsabbatical, Vyjayanthimala re-attained her success in Hindi films throughRaj Kapoor's first technicolor filmSangam. Termed as Kapoor'smagnum opus, the film was produced with a lavish budget by his production companyR. K. Films. Earlier in the 1940s, Kapoor planned to launchSangam in the title ofGharonda withDilip Kumar,Nargis and himself in the lead, however the film was delayed several times until 1962.[113] Following Kumar andDev Anand's refusal to be a part of the film, Kapoor then signedRajendra Kumar and himself as the male leads.[114]Sangam was the first Indian film shot in Europe and outside of Asia. It was thelongest running film in India when it was released at 238 minutes.[115] The film also created a record by being the first film to have two intervals during theatrical screenings.[116] With cinematography by Radhu Kamarkar, the European filming locations includeVenice, Paris, Switzerland and London, while the Indian locations includeOoty andKashmir Valley.[117] Upon release, the film was received widespread critical acclaim and was considered as Hindi cinema's greatestlove triangle.[118] Vyjayanthimala's performance too received high praise from critics. Dinesh Raheja ofRediff said that: "to put it simply, radiant...the maturity with which she tackles her character, the insouciance as well as the agony" and called it "one of commercial cinema's most unforgettable performances".[119] Similarly, the film was commercially successful throughout India and other countries as well. On its overall theatrical run, Boxofficeindia.com reported that the film had grossed₹ 8,00,00,000 and netted around₹40,000,000 with its adjusted to inflation net gross about₹843,900,000 (US$9.9 million).[120] Subsequently, the film was labelled as a blockbuster, where it was ranked as highest-grossing film of 1964 and the second highest-grossing film of the decade.[121] The film was ranked at fourth by Boxofficeindia.co.in in their list of "Top 50 Film of Last 50 Years" which feature all-time highest grossing Hindi film with its adjusted to inflation gross about₹7,173,154,362 (US$84 million).[100]Sangam also had a great box office run outside of India where it was well received in countries such as China,Malaysia and Russia.[122][123] For her role of Radha, a woman in a dilemma about her feelings for her husband and her former lover, Vyjayanthimala was awarded with theFilmfare Award for Best Actress. She then co-starred withDilip Kumar for the sixth time inRam Mukherjee'sLeader. The film was a comeback film for Kumar, whose last film wasGunga Jumna, also co-starred Vyjayanthimala.[124] Like most of Vyjayanthimala and Kumar's films, their on-screen chemistry received praise from critics, where Deepak Mahan fromThe Hindu said: "What made the film even more enjoyable was the equally spirited response of doe-eyed Vyjayantimala, oozing oodles of impish charm in every frame. The pair carried the film on their shoulders, giving abundant joy and mirth to audiences with their outstanding histrionics. Their interactions make the film worth going miles to watch and it is certain that without their resolute shoulders".[125] However, the filmLeader did not fare well at the box office, where it was labelled as below average.[120] During the making ofLeader,Rediff describes Vyjayanthimala as "recalcitrant" which annoyed Kumar.[126] The film was followed byGemini Film'sZindagi, directed byRamanand Sagar. A female-centric film, it features Vyjayanthimala alongsideRajendra Kumar,Raaj Kumar andPrithviraj Kapoor.[127]Zindagi became a success at the box office, where it celebrated a silver jubilee theatrical run and was the fourth highest-grossing film of that year with a verdict of "hit".[120][128] Soon she signed forAnjali Pictures'Phoolon Ki Sej, withAshok Kumar andManoj Kumar, and this became her third consecutive hit of the year. Her last release in 1964 wasIshaara, in which she co-starred with actorJoy Mukherjee for the first time, and her performance ensured that the film was a box office success.[129]
In 1965, Vyjayanthimala starred in two commercial disappointments;Naya Kanoon, withAshok Kumar andBharat Bhushan andNam Iruvar withT. R. Mahalingam, but both the films are considered masterpieces by critics.Naam Iruvar became her last Tamil film. In 1966, Vyjayanthimala starred inDo Dilon Ki Dastaan, which failed at the box office. After some box office flops, Vyjayanthimala soon signed alongsideRajendra Kumar in theswashbucklerruritanian romanceSuraj. Directed byT. Prakash Rao, the film hadMumtaz,Bharathi Vishnuvardhan andNeetu Singh.Suraj was huge box office success and was one of the popularcostume dramas in Hindi cinema.[130]Suraj was the last successful film of Rajendra Kumar andShankar Jaikishan, who introduced singerSharda through this film.[131][132] According to Boxofficeindia.com, the film grossed around₹ 50,000,000 with net gross of₹ 25,000,000 and becomes second highest-grossing film of 1966 with a verdict of "super hit" at the box office.[133] The film was also the thirteenth highest-grossing film of the decade, with its adjusted to inflation net gross about₹511,800,000 (US$6.0 million).[121] While Ibosnetwork.com reported that the film grossed₹ 40,000,000 and its adjusted to inflation gross about₹504,260,000 (US$5.9 million).[134] FollowingSuraj, Vyjayanthimala starred in thehistorical filmAmrapali. Based on life of theNagarvadhu (royalcourtesan) ofVaishaliAmrapali, she played the title role along withSunil Dutt, who enacted the role of KingAjatashatru. Upon release, the film opened to widespread critical acclaim and wasIndia's official submission forAcademy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the39th Academy Awards. The film was a colossal disaster at the box-offie, which left Vyjayanthimala heartbroken, where she decided to quit the industry, though directorBaldev Raj Chopra felt that she could have easily continued for another decade in lead roles.[29] AfterAmrapali, the biggest box office failure of her career and some personal issues with co-stars, Vyjayanthimala lost interest in films. In 1967, she was signed intoTapi Chanakya'sRam Aur Shyam, which was a remake of the 1964 Telugu filmRamudu Bheemudu. She co-starred withDilip Kumar for the seventh time, who had previously made some memorable films with her. However, due to some misunderstandings between Kumar and Vyjayanthimala, Vyjayanthimala was replaced byWaheeda Rehman. The same year, she starred inVijay Anand'sJewel Thief afterSaira Banu backed out of the project due to her marriage with Dilip Kumar.[135] Thecrime thriller reunited Vyjayanthimala with her co-starDev Anand afterAmar Deep (1958).Jewel Thief also hadAshok Kumar as the main antagonist with four more female leadsTanuja,Helen,Anju Mahendru andFaryal. For the first time she worked under Dev Anand's production house,Navketan Films after being rejected byTad Danielewski for the lead role in the 1965 Hindi filmGuide.[136] The success ofJewel Thief made Vyjayanthimala and Dev Anand a hit pair.[72] Three decades later, Vyjayanthimala was approached by Dev Anand for a role in the sequel ofJewel Thief;Return of Jewel Thief (1996), but she refused to act in the film as she did not plan to make a comeback.[137] Subsequently, Vyjayanthimala's dance number "Hothon Pe Aisi Baat Main" sung byLata Mangeshkar became a huge hit and was considered one of the best dance numbers in Indian cinema, while being influential for the rises of other dance numbers such as "Chamma Chamma" fromChina Gate and "Sheila Ki Jawani" fromTees Maar Khan respectively.[138][139] The same year she did themagnum opusChhoti Si Mulaqat, produced by the legendary Bengali actor and matinee idolMahanayak Uttam Kumar. A remake of the 1954 Bengali filmAgni Pariksha, which had Uttam Kumar, who reprises his role in the Hindi version andSuchitra Sen in the lead. Unlike the original version,Chhoti Si Mulaqat failed at the box offie and was declared a box office disaster. Her last release in the year wasHatey Bazarey, withAshok Kumar. Inspired byBanaphool's novel with the same title, the film was directed by acclaimed directorTapan Sinha, where Vyjayanthimala made her Bengali cinema debut through the film.[140] She played the role of a widowed young woman – Chhipli – who falls for a civil surgeon Doctor Anandi Mukheerjee. Upon release the film received unanimously positive reviews, where it was awarded theBest Feature Film Award at the15th National Film Awards, while Vyjayanthimala's performance was also appreciated by critics alike.[141] A review fromUpperstall had mentioned that: "Vyjayantimala, in her debut in Bengali films is extremely convincing as the independent and vivacious tribal widow".[142] Similarly, her singing in the song "Shyam Tor Tore Tamal Tolay Boshe Thaki" along with singerHemanta Mukherjee received praise, where it was described as a "pleasant surprise" in the same review.[142]Hatey Bazarey was also received well commercially and was one of the most successful Bengali films of the 1960s.[142]
In 1968, Vyjayanthimala appeared in three big budget films with high-profile actors such asDilip Kumar,Dev Anand andRajendra Kumar. Her first release of the year wasSunghursh, directed byHarnam Singh Rawail. She co-starred with Dilip Kumar for the seventh and final time in her career, withBalraj Sahni andSanjeev Kumar in key roles. Originally offered to actressSadhana, the role later went to Vyjayanthimala as the former suffered with her thyroid problem.[143] Reportedly she did not exchange a word with Kumar while filming, since their relationship broke up.[144] For Vyjayanthimala's enactment of a courtesan, Laila-e-Aasma, she received positive feedback from the critics. Anuj Kumar fromThe Hindu said that: "Vyjayanthimala is graceful as ever. In a film dominated by men, Rawail made sure she had a substantial role. Her dances and Naushad's lilting tunes come as a welcome break to the sinewy tone imparted by Abrar Alvi and Gulzar's dialogues".[145] The role fetched her the Best Hindi Actress Award at 25th Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards.[146]Sunghursh was followed bySaathi, directed byC. V. Sridhar. A remake of the highly acclaimed Tamil film of 1961,Palum Pazhamum, the film hadRajendra Kumar andSimi Garewal replacingSivaji Ganesan andSowcar Janaki respectively from the Tamil version with Vyjyanthimala enacting the role originally portrayed byB. Saroja Devi.[147] The same year she co-starred withDev Anand for the third and last time inT. Prakash Rao'sDuniya.[148]Duniya,Saathi andSunghursh were named as tenth, eleventh and twelfth highest-grossing film of 1968 respectively, with the first two labelled as average while the latter only managed to do above average business at the box office.[149] On the other hand,Duniya is considered a hit film by some critics and often included in the hit film list of Dev Anand.[148] In 1969, she was the first Indian dancer to perform at theUnited Nations General Assembly to commemorate the 21st anniversary of the proclamation of theUniversal Declaration of Human Rights.
After her retirement from films, Vyjayanthimala was offered many roles by big banners opposite leading actors of that time. But she refused all those offers as she did not want to make a comeback. In 1968, she was signed oppositeRaj Kapoor in Mahesh Kaul'sSapno Ka Saudagar, she refused the role which went to the debutanteHema Malini, who become one of the most popular actresses in Hindi films later.[150] However, in 1975, Vyjayanthimala was almost signed inGulzar'sAandhi withSanjeev Kumar but she backed out from the project as the role resembledIndira Gandhi's personal life.[151][152] Perhaps the most famous role that Vyjayanthimala ever turned down was the 1975 crime-drama filmDeewaar. Inspired by the 1961 filmGunga Jumna, a Vyjayanthimala starrer, the film was directed byYash Chopra and starsAmitabh Bachchan andShashi Kapoor. She turned down the role of a mother for the lead actors, which later went toNirupa Roy, who attained popularity through the success of the film and was later cast in similar roles.[153] Following that, she refused the multi-starrer 1981 blockbuster filmKranti, oppositeDilip Kumar, withManoj Kumar,Shashi Kapoor,Hema Malini,Shatrughan Sinha,Parveen Babi andSarika as theensemble cast, which was directed and produced by Manoj Kumar himself.[29] Apart from Hindi films, she refused the 1989 Tamil filmMappillai, starringRajinikanth. As said by Rajinikanth who played the lead role, "actor Vyjayanthimala was first offered the role of mother-in-law inMappillai which was a pivotal role, but she refused the film even though the producer of the filmChiranjeevi came forward to give her huge salary, she said that she does not want to play the role of antagonist opposite me and will never agree to be part of fighting scene against me".[154] Following many films refused by Vyjayanthimala, Dinesh Raheja fromRediff commented that "good money and pivotal roles notwithstanding...did not seem alluring enough".[29] All her films released from 1969;Pyar Hi Pyar,Prince andGanwaar, became huge box office successes.Ganwaar was her last Hindi film.
Vyjayanthimala's political career was initiated in 1984 when she contested in1984 Tamil Nadu general election for theSouth Chennai constituency as the nominee of theIndian National Congress oppositeEra Sezhiyan, the leader ofJanata Party and seasonedparliamentarian.[155] During the campaign, Sezhiyan made provoking quotes such as "Send me to the Lok Sabha. Send her to R.R. Sabha (an organisation promoting fine arts)"[155] to defeat Vyjayanthimala, ironically she won the election with margin of about 48,000 votes where she gained 313,848 with percentage of 51.92%.[155] Subsequently, she debuted in theLok Sabha, thedirectly electedlower house of theParliament of India by the end of January 1985 withAmitabh Bachchan.[156]
In 1989, Vyjayanthimala again had to face the1989 Tamil Nadu general election, this time she was opposed byAladi Aruna of theDravida Munnetra Kazhagam.[155] She again beat her opposition by nearly 12584 votes.[155] Later in 1993, she was nominated to theRajya Sabha, theupper house of theParliament of India for a six-year term.[7] In 1999, she resigned from the primary membership of theIndian National Congress party.[157] In her letter to the party's presidentSonia Gandhi, she included the reason for her resignation where she said that: "painfully watching the party drifting from its avowed principles after thedeath ofRajiv Gandhi, the party has lost touch with its grassroots and one can see day in and day out that sincere party workers are being steadily ignored." she adds more; "increasingly difficult to justify ourselves to the public and my conscience does not allow me to stay in the party any longer".[157][158] Later, she joined theBharatiya Janata Party on 6 September 1999.[159][160]
Vyjayanthimala is regarded as one of the greatest actresses ofIndian cinema.[161] In 2022, she was placed inOutlook India's "75 Best Bollywood Actresses" list.[162] One of the highest paid actress of the 1950s and 1960s, Vyjayanthimala appeared inBox Office India's "Top Actresses" list from 1954 to 1967, and topped the list for six years (1958-1959, 1961-1964).[163] Arushi Jain ofThe Indian Express called her the "first female superstar" of the Indian cinema and added that she ruled three industries, being the first "pan-India" star.[164] In 2007, Vyjayanthimala released her memoir, titled, "Bonding... A Memoir".[165]
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