Babita Shivdasani Kapoor (born 20 April 1947), also known simply as Babita,[1] is an Indian retired actress who appeared in Hindi-language films. She is the daughter of character actor Hari Shivdasani and the cousin of actress and her contemporary Sadhana Shivdasani.

Babita
Babita in 2023
Born
Babita Hari Shivdasani

(1947-04-20) 20 April 1947 (age 77)[1]
Karachi, Sindh, British India[2]
OccupationActress
Years active1966–1973
Spouse
(m. 1971)
Children
FatherHari Shivdasani
RelativesSadhana (cousin)
FamilyKapoor family

Babita’s debut film was the successful drama Dus Lakh (1966), but it was the romantic thriller Raaz (1967), opposite Rajesh Khanna, that gained her recognition. From 1966 to 1973, she starred in nineteen films as the lead heroine, including the box office successes Farz (1967), Haseena Maan Jayegi, Kismat (both in 1968), Ek Shriman Ek Shrimati (1969), Doli (1969), Kab? Kyoon? Aur Kahan? (1970), Kal Aaj Aur Kal (1971) and Banphool (1971). Following her marriage to actor Randhir Kapoor in 1971, she acted in Jeet (1972) and Ek Hasina Do Diwane (1972). Her subsequent release, Sone Ke Haath (1973) was an average success, after which she decided to leave her career and became a housewife.[3]

Background

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Babita was born in Karachi to actor Hari Shivdasani, who was from a Sindhi Hindu family (settled in Bombay prior to and after the partition of India) and a British Christian mother, Barbara.[2][4] The iconic actress Sadhana Shivdasani was her paternal cousin and contemporary.[5]

Career

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Babita appeared in nineteen films. Her first film to release was the 1966 successful film Dus Lakh, which also starred Sanjay Khan, Om Prakash and her future sister-in-law, Neetu Singh. However, the first film she had signed was actually Raaz co-starring Rajesh Khanna, which was released in 1967. Her biggest box office successes were Dus Lakh, Ek Shrimaan Ek Shrimati and Haseena Maan Jayegi (1968), (with her future uncle-in-law) Shashi Kapoor, Farz, Banphool and Ek Hasina Do Diwane with Jeetendra, Doli with Rajesh Khanna, Tumse Achha Kaun Hai (1969) with her future uncle-in-law Shammi Kapoor, Kismat with Biswajeet, Kab? Kyoon? Aur Kahan? (1970) with Dharmendra and Pehchaan with Manoj Kumar. In 1971, she acted opposite her future husband Randhir Kapoor, as well as father-in-law Raj Kapoor and grandfather-in-law Prithviraj Kapoor in Kal Aaj Aur Kal. After her marriage to Randhir, they were cast together by director K. Shankar in Jeet, which was the remake of En Annan, starring M. G. Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa. She left the film industry in 1973 following her husband's family tradition of women not working in the acting profession.[6]

Personal life

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Babita with daughters Karisma and Kareena in 2001

Babita fell in love with Randhir Kapoor, while working with him in the film Kal Aaj Aur Kal (1971). They married in a lavish ceremony on 6 November 1971.[7] They have two children, actresses Karisma Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor Khan.[8][9][10]

In the 1980s, Randhir's career as an actor started to decline and things soured between them. She and Randhir lived in separate homes for several years, even though they are still legally married and had no intention of divorcing. The couple reunited in 2007 after living separately for several years.[7]

Filmography

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Year Film Role[citation needed] Notes
1966 Dus Lakh Rita Debut film
1967 Raaz Sapna
Farz Sunita
1968 Kismat Roma
Haseena Maan Jayegi Archana (Archie)
Aulad Bharti
1969 Tumse Achha Kaun Hai Asha
Ek Shrimaan Ek Shrimati Deepali Lakhanpal
Doli Asha
Anmol Moti Manisha
Anjaana Rachna Malhotra
1970 Kab? Kyoon? Aur Kahan? Asha Prasad
Pehchan Barkha
1971 Kal Aaj Aur Kal Monica (Mona) Appeared with Randhir Kapoor in his debut film[11]
Bikhre Moti Indrani
Banphool Gulabi
1972 Jeet Koyli / Rasili
Ek Hasina Do Diwane Neeta
1973 Sone Ke Haath Prema

References

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  1. ^ a b "Kareena Kapoor Khan and Saif Ali Khan at Babita Kapoor's 70th birthday". Vogue India. 20 April 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Babita". Cinemaazi. She was born Babita Hari Shivdasani on 20 April, 1947, to a British-born mother Barbara and an Indian actor father, Hari Shivdasani, who belonged to a prominent Bombay-based Sindhi family.
  3. ^ Sone Ke Haath (1973) - Trivia - IMDb, retrieved 25 February 2024
  4. ^ "Saif to join girlfriend Kareena and her family for midnight mass". Mid-Day. 23 December 2008. Archived from the original on 1 July 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  5. ^ "I don't acknowledge Babita: Sadhana - Times of India". The Times of India. 2 December 2013.
  6. ^ "An ode to Bollywood's yesteryear superstar Babita Kapoor". filmfare.com.
  7. ^ a b Monika Rawal Kukreja (25 April 2017). "Why should I want to divorce Babita?' asks Randhir Kapoor about his estranged wife". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 11 August 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  8. ^ Meena Iyer (24 February 2010). "Kareena: Yes, I eat!". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 11 August 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
  9. ^ "Kareena, Saif at St Andrew's Church in Mumbai". The Times of India. 26 December 2011. Archived from the original on 17 December 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  10. ^ "Kareena, family and friends go to midnight mass at St Andrews". Mid-day.com. 26 December 2008.
  11. ^ "Kal Aaj Aur Kal will always be my favourite: Randhir Kapoor". Hindustan Times. 16 April 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
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