| Parveen Babi | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 4, 1949 Junagadh |
| Died | January 20, 2005 (aged 55) Mumbai |
| Occupation | Actress |
Parveen Babi (Gujarati: પરવીન બાબી, Hindi: परवीन बाबी, Urdu: پروین بابی) (4 April 1949 - 20 January 2005) was an Indian actress, who is most remembered for her glamourous roles alongside top heroes of the 1970s and early 80s[1] in blockbusters like Deewar, Namak Halaal, Amar Akbar Anthony and Shaan[2][3].
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Babi was born in Junagadh in a muslim family. She did her early schooling in Aurangabad and later attended St. Xavier's College, Ahmedabad. Her father Vali Mohammed Babi, was an administrator with the Nawab of Junagadh. Babi was born fourteen years after the marriage of her parents and was the only child. She lost her parents at a very young age.
Parveen did not marry but shared intimate relationships with married men: director Mahesh Bhatt, actors Kabir Bedi, and Danny Denzongpa. Parveen was also rumoured to have a relationship with her co-star Amitabh Bachchan. Mahesh Bhatt later wrote and directed Arth (1982), a semi-autobiographical film about his extramarital relationship with Babi, and wrote and produced Woh Lamhe (2006) based on actual facts about his relationship with her [4].
Parveen was considered to be one of the most successful Bollywood actresses in the 1970s and was known for her portrayal of iconoclastic women who did not care about the conventional norms of society. She made her film debut with film, Charitira, in 1973 while still in college [5].
She was the first Indian actress to have been featured on TIME magazine's cover, in March 1977. In her most successful films, she was paired opposite Amitabh Bachchan, who was one of the biggest stars of the decade, in cinematic blockbusters like Deewaar (1975) Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), Shaan (1980), Kaalia (1981), and Khud-daar (1982).
She was often compared with her contemporary Zeenat Aman due to their common image of being sex-symbols. In fact, she acted alongside Zeenat in Mahaan (1983) and Ashanti (1982) (inspired by the American television show Charlie's Angels, with the third role played by Shabana Azmi). [1] In films like Deewar (1975), Shaan (1980) and Namak Halaal (1982) her screen presence may have been minimal (the films largely working around the hero) but Babi brought a certain attractive aloofness to the roles and songs she appeared in. In Manoj Kumar's big hit Kranti (1981), she stole scenes with her supporting role from Hema Malini, the heroine of the film. Babi also acted in offbeat films like Vinod Pandey's Yeh Nazdeekiyan (1982).
Her success did not run into the mid-eighties as she had left the film industry to move to New York in 1983. Many of her completed films released in the following years right uptill her last film Aakarshan releasing in 1988.
After rumours about Babi suffering from schizophrenia began making rounds, she sought mental solace through alternative contemporary spirituality. She followed "Osho" for a few years and later became involved with the teachings of U.G.Krishnamurti in New York. She returned to Mumbai in 1992 where she was unrecognizable as her former self after having put on a considerable amount of weight. She accused many foreign dignitaries including Bill Clinton and her former co-star, Amitabh Bachchan, of conspiring to kill her but her petition in court was dismissed for lack of evidence. In 2002, she again hit the headlines when she filed an affidavit in the special court hearing the 1993 serial bomb blasts case, claiming that she had gathered clinching evidence against actor Sanjay Dutt showing his involvement in the case, but she did not turn up in court after being summoned saying that she was afraid of being killed.
It is speculated that Parveen Babi suffered from schizophrenia and had become a recluse due to her paranoia. Some claimed it was the release of Mahesh Bhatt’s Arth (a semi-autobiographical look at his extramarital relationship with Parveen) and her disturbed state of mind that prompted her to abandon everything. She led the life of an absolute recluse because she was afraid people were trying to kill her. She was also afraid of doorbells and phone calls. It is also said that whenever a journalist or a friend visited her over meals, she would ask them to eat the food of her plate first, so as to convince herself that her food was not poisoned by anyone. It is also probable that she was not schizophrenic but had a Delusional Disorder DSM-IV TR and withdrew from society. It is probable that her mental disorder could be Substance-Induced Psychosis, as she allegedly took LSD and other hallucinogens with her lovers Mahesh Bhatt - in addition to drinking heavily and also consuming marijuana. The move to New York was in order to obtain confidential psychiatric treatment, or perhaps partially motivated by the initial psychotic break - as she did not trust psychiatrists in India to keep her information confidential.
In April, 1984 a disturbed and distraught Parveen Babi landed in the New York International Airport. She was asked to show her identification papers by the Airport authorities. Something in her snapped. She is said to have acted difficult and was handcuffed. When she put up a frantic struggle, she was also ankle-cuffed and carried by four policemen to a public hospital. An Indian doctor recognized Parveen and came to her aid. When U.G.Krishnamurti landed in New York, he found Parveen in a general ward with thirty other mentally disturbed patients.
However, she managed to maintain her posh penthouse apartment in Mumbai and live affluently from sound financial investments. She was diabetic for most of her life - possibly due to the side-effects of powerful anti-psychotic medications.
She was found dead in her Mumbai apartment on 22 January 2005 after her residential society secretary alerted the police that she had not collected milk and newspapers from her doorstep for three days [6]. The Police suspected that she might have died three days back, though the cause of her death was not immediately known. She was found to have gangrene of the foot as a complication of her diabetic condition. The police ruled out any foul play. Later it was said that the cause of death appeared to be complications from diabetes.
After her death, her body was taken to a Hospital, where it lay unclaimed till evening. Soon after, filmmakers Mahesh Bhatt and Ashok Pandit offered to perform the last rites if there was no claimant. Her burial was conducted according to Islamic rites and Babi was buried next to her mother at Santa Cruz, in Mumbai on 23 January 2005.[7] Unfortunately, she died alone, forgotten by those who worked with her in her heyday. She was a star who had the whole industry go gaga over her when she was alive, but she died a sad and isolated death... unloved, unappreciated and forgotten.
| Year | Film | Costars |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Majboor | Amitabh Bachchan |
| 1975 | Deewar | Amitabh Bachchan |
| 1977 | Amar Akbar Anthony | Amitabh Bachchan |
| 1979 | Suhaag | Shashi Kapoor |
| 1981 | Kaalia | Amitabh Bachchan |
| 1981 | Meri Awaaz Suno | Jeetendra |
| 1982 | Namak Halal | Shashi Kapoor |
| 1982 | Ashanti | Mithun Chakraborthy |
| 1982 | Khuddar | Amitabh Bachchan |
| 1983 | Rang Birangi | Amol Palekar |
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   | Parveen Babi: A bohemian rhapsody - Parveen Babi: A bohemian rhapsody: Rediff.com movies |
| | turn up - Parveen Babi, witness in Dutt case |
| | Parveen Babi portrait - Parveen Babi Portrait - Bollywood501 |
| | Rediff - Parveen Babi: A bohemian rhapsody |
| | Mahesh bhatt on Parveen Babi - Very Touching - Mahesh Bhatt speaks his heart out on Parveen Babi |
| | Perfumed memories by Mahesh Bhatt - Perfumed memories -DAWN Images; January 30, 2005 |
| | Parveen Babi found dead in Mumbai - Parveen Babi found dead in Mumbai : Entertainment News : IndiaExpress.Com |
| | Filmography - Parveen Babi > Overview - AllMovie |
| | Bollywood star Parveen Babi dies - BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Bollywood star Parveen Babi dies |
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