Leena Chandavarkar
Leena Chandavarkar | |
|---|---|
 Leena Chandavarkar at the 4th Bharat Ratan Dr. Ambedkar Awards in 2014 | |
| Born | 29 August 1950[1] |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1968–1989 |
| Spouse(s) |
Siddharth Bandodkar
(m. 1975; died 1976) |
| Children | Sumit Kumar |
Leena Chandavarkar (born 29 August 1950) is an Indian former actress who appeared in Bollywood movies as a leading actress and now appears in reality shows. She was an actress during the late 60s and early 70s. She played leading heroine opposite almost all superstars during that era and was frequently paired opposite Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra, Jeetendra, Sanjeev Kumar, Vinod Khanna, Dilip Kumar, Sunil Dutt and Raaj Kumar.
Biography
Leena Chandavarkar was born to a Konkani Marathi speaking Army officer Sreenath Chandavarkar at Dharwad in Karnataka in 1950.[citation needed] She was supposed to debut with the film Maseeha (1967) opposite Sunil Dutt costarring Raaj Kumar and Mumtaz too under the direction of Sunil Dutt himself. The film got shelved and she made her debut under the direction of Sunil Dutt with the movie Man ka Meet in 1968.[3] The movie was a hit and she became an overnight star. She was one of the topmost heroines in early 70s alongside Hema Malini and Mumtaz. She turned down roles like Kal Aaj aur Kal (1970) opposite Randhir Kapoor, Khilona (1970) opposite Sanjeev Kumar, Sharmilee (1971) opposite Shashi Kapoor, Kati Patang (1971) opposite Rajesh Khanna, Hanste Zakham (1973) opposite Navin Nischol, Jheel Ke Us Paar (1973) and Resham Ki Dori (1974) opposite Dharmendra, Khaan Dost(1976) opposite Shatrughan Sinha and Ganga Ki Saugandh (1978) opposite Amitabh Bachchan. The films she turned down went to Asha Parekh, Mumtaz, Babita, Rakhee, and Rekha, respectively. A film with Dev Anand never saw the light of the day. She had an elder brother Anil Chandavarkar who married director Atmaram's daughter and has a daughter from the marriage. He committed suicide in 1985. She quit Bollywood after marriage with singing legend Kishore Kumar only to return for two movies later.[4]
Career
Chandavarkar came into the limelight after finishing as one of the runners-up for the Fresh Face Competition organized across the country by Filmfare. Initially, she worked in advertisements but eventually ventured into films. She made her debut in Man Ka Meet for Sunil Dutt, and it was his wife Nargis who groomed her to be an actress. Between 1969 and 1979, Leena acted in many films. She was cast opposite many of popular heroes of that era. She gave one of her best performances in Mehboob Ki Mehndi with Rajesh Khanna in 1971.[5]
Bairaag, in 1976, is another example where she acted with Dilip Kumar and an ensemble star cast of Saira Bano, Prem Chopra and Helen.
She appeared as a guest judge for the first 2 episodes of "K for Kishore", a new reality TV singing show launched by Sony TV during December 2007. She is now appearing for the reality shows. She also penned some songs for Amit Kumar and Rajesh Bambal for a music album.
Personal life
She had an arranged marriage to her first husband, Siddharth Bandodkar, who came from a prominent Goan political family. He died from an accidental gunshot wound, a few days into the marriage, leaving Leena a widow at age 25.[6] A few years later, she married singing legend Kishore Kumar. Her father initially objected because Kumar had been married three times already, and was more than 20 years older than her, but he soon came around and welcomed Kumar into the family.[7] She has a son with Kishore Kumar named Sumit Ganguly. Kishore died in 1987, leaving Leena once again a widow at age 37. She lives with her son Sumit, her step-son Amit Kumar, and his wife.[8]
Filmography
| Year | Movies | Role | Co-Star | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Mamta Ki Chhao Mein | Leena Rai | Rajesh Khanna | |
| 1985 | Sarfarosh | Sita | Jeetendra | |
| 1980 | Zalim | Kiran | Vinod Khanna | |
| Pyar Ajnabi Hai | Unreleased | Kishore Kumar | ||
| 1978 | Daaku aur Jawan | Seeta | Vinod Khanna | Semihit |
| Nalayak | Seema | Jeetendra | ||
| 1977 | Aafat | Inspector Chhaya | Navin Nischol | |
| Aakhri Goli | Suman | Sunil Dutt | ||
| Naami Chor | Dr.Leena | Biswajit | ||
| Yaaron Ka Yaar | Bindiya | Shatrughan Sinha | ||
| 1976 | Bairaag | Soniya | Dilip Kumar | |
| 1975 | Qaid | Preet | Vinod Khanna | Hit |
| Jaggu | Geeta | Shatrughan Sinha | ||
| Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka | Sonia | Dharmendra | ||
| Apne Rang Hazaar | Malti | Sanjeev Kumar | ||
| 1974 | Bidaai | Padma D. Das | Jeetendra | Superhit |
| Chor Chor | Hema | Vijay Anand | ||
| Manchali | Leena | Sanjeev Kumar | Semihit | |
| Imaan | Imli | Sanjeev Kumar | ||
| 1973 | Anhonee | Dr. Rekha | Sanjeev Kumar | Semihit |
| Ek Kunwari Ek Kunwara | Neela | Rakesh Roshan | ||
| Honeymoon | Madhu Bhargav | Anil Dhawan | ||
| 1972 | Dil Ka Raja | Geeta | Raaj Kumar | |
| 1971 | Rakhwala | Chandni | Dharmendra | |
| * Chingari (1971 film) | Reshma | Sanjay Khan | ||
| Preetam | Sharan B. Sinha/Bindya | Shammi Kapoor | ||
| Jaane-Anjaane | Mala | Shammi Kapoor | ||
| Main Sunder Hoon | Radha | Biswajit | Semihit | |
| Mehboob Ki Mehndi | Shabana | Rajesh Khanna | ||
| 1970 | Humjoli | Ranibala Rai | Jeetendra | Superhit |
| Jawab | Chanchal | Jeetendra | ||
| Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi | Sadhana Deepak Chaud | Sanjay Khan | ||
| 1968 | Man Ka Meet | Aarti | Som Dutt | Semihit |
References
- ^ "The hardships of Leena Chandavarkar". YouTube. 4 February 2019. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
- ^ "After being widowed at the age of 25, Leena Chandavarkar married a 25-year-older singer". YouTube. 1 September 2018. Retrieved 8 September 2019.[dead YouTube link]
- ^ "Leena Chandavarkar gets candid about life, love and marriage". filmfare.com. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
- ^ "Can't change one's destiny". Deccan Chronicle. 11 August 2011. Archived from the original on 15 August 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
- ^ Malhotra, Aps (4 June 2015). "Mehboob Ki Mehndi (1971)". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 22 April 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Kishoreda came home & sang till my parents agreed to our marriage: Leena Chandavarkar - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
- ^ Team, Author: Editorial (15 June 2020). "Meet The Real Family Of Kishore Kumar". IWMBuzz. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
{{cite web}}:|first=has generic name (help)
External links
- ^ "Leena Chandavarkar: Ram Jethmalani asked my permission before kissing me". 25 February 2015. Archived from the original on 5 April 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2017.