Journalism of Courage
Parveen Babi is till date remembered as Big B's leading lady and for her many glamorous avatars in 1970s and early 80s in blockbusters like Deewar, Namak Halaal, Amar Akbar Anthony and Shaan. On her 65th birth anniversary we take a look at the life and times of the most beautiful actresses to have ever appeared in Indian cinema. (Express archive photo)
Parveen Babi was born in Junagadh, Gujarat into a Muslim family. She did her schooling from Mount Carmel High School in Ahmedabad and then did M.A (Eng) from St. Xavier's College, Ahmedabad. Her ancestors were Pathans of Gujarat and belonged to the Babi Dynasty. Parveen, who was born 14 years after the marriage of her parents, lost her father at the tender age of 10. (Express archive photo)
Parveen never got married but was in relation with many married men including director Mahesh Bhatt, Kabir Bedi and Danny Denzongpa. Mahesh Bhatt also wrote and directed Arth (1982), which was a semi-autobiographical film about his relationship with Parveen Babi. Later he also made Woh Lamhe. (Express archive photo)
There were rumours that Parveen Babi had an affair with megastar Amitabh Bachchan but nothing came out of it. A few years, Parveen Babi developed irrational fears and she accused Big B of trying to kill her. (Express archive photo)
Coming back to her professional life, Parveen began working as a model in 1972 and then made her Bollywood debut with Charitra in 1973 opposite cricketer Salim Durani. Though the movie was a box office disaster, Parveen Babi got noticed and went on to sign many movies. (Express archive photo)
Her first hit was Majboor very next year opposite Amitabh Bachchan.
She was the first Bollywood actress to appear on the cover of Time magazine in July 1976.
Parveen Babi was considered to be one of the most successful actresses of her time, along with Hema Malini, Rekha, Zeenat Aman, Jaya Bhaduri, Reena Roy and Raakhee. (Express archive photo)
She worked with Amitabh Bachchan in eight films and all of them were hits Deewar, Amar Akbar Anthony, Majboor to name a few. (Express archive photo)
Parveen Babi also worked with Shashi Kapoor (Suhaag, Kaala Patthar, Namak Halaal), Feroz Khan (Kala Sona) and Dharmendra (Jaani Dost). (Express archive photo)
But towards the end of her filmy career she was seen in offbeat films like Yeh Nazdeekiyan (1982), and Dil... Akhir Dil Hai (1982).
Parveen Babi was often compared with her contemporary Zeenat Aman due to their common image of being sex-symbols. She had also worked with Zeenat in Mahaan and Ashanti (1982). (Express archive photo)
In Manoj Kumar's super hit Kranti, she stole the show from film's leading Hema Malini.
Hema Malini and Parveen Babi in a still from Razia Sultan. (Express archive photo)
In 1983, Parveen Babi disappeared from the movie scene without informing anyone about her whereabouts and there were rumours in the industry that she might have been kidnapped by the underworld.
She travelled to many to many countries for a spiritual journey with U. G. Krishnamurti and her friend Valentine and spent most of the time in California. (Express archive photo)
Parveen Babi's popularity was so immense, there were reports that producers would line up at her door to sign her for their new projects.
As Parveen Babi’s image symbolised western standards, she was given roles to suit her glamorous personality. She established herself as the "first female superstar of Bollywood." Her popularity among the youngsters of that time made her among the highest paid actresses in Bollywood of that time. She was on the cover of every film magazine. (Express archive photo)
A year later on April 7, 1984, she was caught at John F. Kennedy International Airport after she failed to submit her papers. She was handcuffed and was kept in a general ward with mentally challenged patients. The Indian Consul General also met with Parveen Babi, who smiled and chatted with the Consul as though nothing had happened. (Express archive photo)
Parveen Babi returned to Mumbai in November 1989 but was unrecognizable as her former self as she had put on a lot of weight. There were rumours that that she had Schizophrenia, a genetic mental illness although she denied it and said that it was a conspiracy by the film industry and the media to malign her image. (Express archive photo)
In 1991, she shifted focus from Bollywood to interior designing. In 2002, she was again in news when she filed an affidavit in the special court hearing the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, claiming that she had gathered clinching evidence against actor Sanjay Dutt showing his involvement in the case. But she never appeared in the court. (Express archive photo)
In the last four years of her life, Parveen Babi recorded every phone call. She also had the habit of recording her daily thoughts and activities. (Express archive photo)
Parveen Babi was found dead in her Mumbai apartment on January 22, 2005 after her society members told the police that she had not collected her milk and newspapers for 3 days. The police suspected that Parveen Babi may have been dead up to 72 hours before her body was found. The police ruled out any foul play in her death and it was said that she died due to organ failure. (Express archive photo)
