Salwar Suits Biography
Source (google.com.pk)Sadhana aspired to be an actress from childhood. Her father helped her enter films. In 1955 she played a chorus girl in the song "Mur mur ke na dekh mur mur ke" in Raj Kapoor's Shree 420.When she was 15 years old, she was discovered by some producers who had seen her act in a college play. They cast her in India's first Sindhi film titled Abana (1958), where she played the role of actress Sheila Ramani's younger sister. She was paid a token amount of 1 rupee.[citation needed] A photograph of her publicizing the film appeared in a movie magazine Screen. It was then that Sashadhar Mukherjee, one of cinema's major producers at that time, noticed her. She joined Mukherjee's acting school along with her debutant co-star Joy Mukherjee, who is Sashadhar’s son. R.K. Nayyar, who had previously worked as assistant director on few films, directed this film. He also created her trademark look called "Sadhana cut" inspired from Hollywood actress Audrey Hepburn. The Filmalaya Production banner thus introduced Joy, Sadhana and her iconic hairstyle "Sadhana cut" in their 1960's romantic film Love in Simla. The film was declared a hit at the box office and was listed in the top 10 films of 1960 Shivdasani played the role of a simple, bespectacled girl who is transformed by her grandmother into a beautiful young woman and encouraged to pursue the hero. In the film, Shivdasani wins a beauty contest and is awarded a three-year film contract with Filmalaya, which was the case in real life too. During this period she would again work under the same banner opposite Joy Mukherjee in Ek Musafir Ek Haseena.
Alongside Love in Simla, Shivdasani was signed by acclaimed director Bimal Roy for his satirical film on Indian democracy, Parakh. She portrayed a simple village girl's role in this multi-award-winning film. In 1961's other hit film Hum Dono she played the love interest of Dev Anand. This black-and-white film was colourized and re-released in 2011. Rediff.com in the film's review writes about Shivadasani; "Her eyes, expressive and captivating, do most of the work, while she balances out her submissiveness with a firm tongue." The Rafi – Asha duet "Abhi Na Jaao Chodkar" remains evergreen. In 1962, she was again paired with Dev Anand in Asli-Naqli by director Hrishikesh Mukherjee. The same year saw director-screenwriter Raj Khosla casting her opposite Joy Mukheerjee in his musical film Ek Musafir Ek Hasina. In future, Khosla would pair with Shivdasani to make their famous suspense thriller trilogy.
In 1963, Shivdasani played her first role in a technicolour film Mere Mehboob directed by H.S.Rawail. The film was the "Blockbuster" film of 1963 and ranked in the top 5 films of the 1960s. The scene where Rajendra Kumar encounters Shivdasani for the first time and sees her eyes through her burqa stands as one of the most remarkable scenes of Hindi film industry. Notable actor Danny Denzongpa describes the visage of Sadhana in a burqa with just her eyes visible as "unforgettable."
Shivdasani in 1964 played her remarkable double role in the first of the suspense-thriller trilogy, Woh Kaun Thi?. This white-sari-clad performance opposite Manoj Kumar earned her first Filmfare nomination as Best Actress. Through this role she got to be part of Lata Mangeshkar – Madan Mohan’s all time classics like "Naina Barse" and "Lag Ja Gale". Rediff.com in their review of the film called her a show-stopper "with an intriguing Mona Lisa-like smile". The film was a box office "Hit". Raj Khosla cast her in two more mystery films, Mera Saaya (1966) and Anita (1967) thus making her famous as the "Mystery girl". Mera Saaya, a box office "Super Hit" courtroom drama film again saw her playing a double role, now opposite Sunil Dutt. The song "Jhumka Gira Re" sung by Asha Bhosle and composed by Madan Mohan saw Shivdasani perform dance steps choreographed by Saroj Khan. Khan was then an assistant to dance director Sohanlal. The song became so popular that excited audience in cinema halls used to throw coins at the screen. The film also had other classic songs "Naino Mein Badara Chhaye" and the haunting theme song "Tu Jaha Jaha Chalega, Mera Saaya Sath Hoga", both voiced by Lata Mangeshkar.
The second Filmfare nomination as Best Actress came to Shivdasani for the role of Meena in Yash Chopra directorial saga Waqt (1965). Shivdasani stood out in Bollywood’s first ever ensemble cast by bringing along the fashion of tight chudidar-kurtas. The film proved to be 1965’s "Blockbuster".
Sadhana had a health problem with her thyroid, which she got treated at a hospital in Boston in the US. After returning from the US, she starred in the successful movies Intaquam (1969), Ek Phool Do Mali (1969), and Geeta Mera Naam (1974), which she also directed.
In Intaquam she played the role of a woman who allures the son of her mother’s murderer for revenge.
After that, she retired from acting as she did not want to be cast as a side-actress or do character roles. Later, she and her husband formed a production company. She also directed a movie starring Dimple Kapadia in 1989.
Sadhana married her Love in Simla director Ram Krishna Nayyar on 6 March 1966. Their love blossomed on the film set. But as she was very young then, her parents opposed it. She was married to him for nearly thirty years, till his death in 1995 from asthma. She has no children. She suffered from a disorder of her eyes due to hyperthyroidism and got treatment for the same in Boston. She returned to films and made a success of Intaqam, Ek Phool Do Mali, Aap Aaye Bahaar Ayee, etc. But after her retirement, she chooses to remain far from the film industry and has never made a comeback. She also refuses to be photographed simply because she wants to be remembered the way she was. Living in Santacruz, Mumbai, she is a tenant in an apartment building owned by singer Asha Bhosle.
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