They say beauty fades away with time and skills get older but it seems like Bollywood legendary actress Sharmila Tagore is an exception. The ever-green actress is one of the most reputed artists of the nation who changed the curve of her art. Known as the host of many prominent Bollywood movies, the collection of movies churned out by Tagore is a dream career for many actresses. From breaking stereotypes by wearing a bikini for the first time on Indian TV to becoming a role model for many, Sharmila Tagore rose as one of the initial female superstars. Today, to honor her work, here we bring you a list of top 10 cult classics of ever-green beauty Sharmila Tagore:
1. Aradhana: The pair of Sharmila Tagore and Rajesh Khanna delivered many iconic movies and the same magic happened in Aradhana. The movie revolves around a pregnant woman, who gets kicked out of her house by her in-laws since her marriage with her lover wasn’t formalized.
2. Satyakam: Capturing one of the most heart-warming performances by Sharmila. This Hrishikesh Mukherjee film is a successful period drama based on the post-independence era. Playing the lead opposite Dharmendra, Tagore garnered applauds for her performance.
3. Waqt: Waqt is not just a milestone for Sharmila Tagore but for the whole cast including, director Yash Chopra, producer B R Chopra, actors Balraj Sahni, Sunil Dutt, Saadhana, Raaj Kumar, and Shashi Kapoor. In the movie, she played the role of Renu who falls head over heels for Vijay, played by Shashi Kapoor.
4. Amar Prem: The movie that a celebrated dialogue ‘Pushpa, I hate tears’ mouthed by Rajesh Khanna made Sharmila Tagore a superstar. In the movie, she plays the role of a woman who gets thrown out of her home after her husband marries another woman. Pushpa is then sold to a brothel where Anand (Rajesh Khanna), a married man, falls for her.
5. Chupke Chupke: Although Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Chupke Chupke didn’t win any major awards, it is considered a classic and is still ruling the audience’s hearts. It’s a light-hearted comedy about identity swapping. Sharmila Tagore was praised for her act as Dharmendra’s love interest.
6. Mausam: The dual of Chanda Thapa and her daughter Kajli executed by Sharmila Tagore is just on another level. The film also won the National Award for Second Best Feature Film. At the Filmfare Awards too Mausam bagged awards for Best Film and Best Director.
7. Devi: While her debut might have been more Chatterjee’s film, Tagore’s next -- also featuring the same leading man -- was decidedly the author-backed central character. A Ray satire on societal conventions and religious dogma, Devi sees Tagore hoisted onto a pedestal one day because her father-in-law dreams she is an avatar of the goddess Kali.
8. Anupama: There is no denying that no other director than Hrishikesh Mukherjee can pull of this movie. Anupama casts Sharmila as deep-rooted introvert girl.
9. An evening in Paris: Yet another Shakti Samanta film, An Evening In Paris saw Sharmila not just at her most varied -- she starred in a double role as heiress and cabaret dancer -- but also at her absolute sexiest, as she became the first mainstream Hindi film heroine to wear a bikini on screen.
10. Aranyer Din Ratri: In Satyajit Ray’s 1970 adaptation of Sunil Gangopadhyay’s novel of the same name -- translated to Days And Nights In The Forest -- Tagore plays Aparna, a progressive and elegant woman out for a getaway in the forest.
