Sandhya Shantaram
{{Short description|Indian film actress (born 1936)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2016}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Sandhya Shantaram
| image = Sandhya in 1957.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Sandhya in 1957
| birth_name = Vijaya Deshmukh
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1936|09|16|df=y}}
| birth_place = Kochi, Kerala, India
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality = Indian
| known_for = Pinjra
| occupation = Actress
| spouse = {{marriage|V. Shantaram|1956|1990|reason=his death}}
| relatives = Vatsala Deshmukh (sister)
}}
Sandhya Shantaram (née Vijaya Deshmukh; born 13 September 1936){{cite book |title=Gender, Culture, and Performance: Marathi Theatre and Cinema before Independence |author=Meera Kosambi |date=5 July 2017 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ey8rDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA341 |page=341 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781351565905}} known mononyomusly as Sandhya is an Indian actress. She is best known for her appearances in various Hindi and Marathi films directed by her husband V. Shantaram, in 1950s-1960s, most notably Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje (1955), Do Aankhen Barah Haath (1958), Navrang (1959), Marathi film Pinjra (1972) and Amar Bhoopali (1951).
Career
Sandhya was discovered by V. Shantaram{{cite news |title=Director Vankudre Shantaram |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=30 October 1990 |pages=11}} when he was seeking new faces to cast for his film Amar Bhoopali (1951). What struck the filmmaker was that she had a good voice, one that strangely resembled that of his second wife, the actress Jayshree.{{cite web |last1=Kahlon |first1=Sukhpreet |title=Dedicated to her art: The journey of Sandhya Shantaram |url=https://www.cinestaan.com/articles/2018/feb/26/11325/dedicated-to-her-art-the-journey-of-sandhya-shantaram |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180227214140/https://www.cinestaan.com/articles/2018/feb/26/11325/dedicated-to-her-art-the-journey-of-sandhya-shantaram |url-status=live |archive-date=27 February 2018 |website=cinestaan.com |publisher=Cinestaan |access-date=26 February 2018 |ref=Sandhya Shantaram}} She later married him after Jayshree left him. In 1952, Sandhya debuted as an actress in his Marathi film Amar Bhoopali in the role of a vocalist, the object of poet Honaji Bala's desire.{{cite book |last=Mujawar |first=Isak |title=Maharashtra: birthplace of Indian film industry |year=1969 |publisher=Maharashtra Information Centre |page=98}} She went on to feature in most of Shantaram's films. In her next film Teen Batti Char Raasta (1953), she played an impoverished girl named Kokila who is considered unattractive because of her dark skin, but who is secretly a radio star with a beautiful singing voice. Like her name, she resembled the black bird koel which sings beautifully. For the role, Sandhya wore dark makeup.
As she had no formal dance training, she underwent intensive instruction in classical dance from co-star Gopi Krishna for the film Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje. The two play Kathak dancers who are preparing for an important competition, but face opposition from their dance guru when they fall in love. The film was very successful and went on to win four Filmfare Awards as well as the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi.{{cite web |title=State Awards for Films: Film in India, 1956 |url=http://iffi.nic.in/Dff2011/Frm3rdNFAAward.aspx?PdfName=3NFA.pdf |publisher=Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India |access-date=29 July 2011 |date=28 April 1957}} Sandhya starred opposite her husband in the film Do Aankhen Barah Haath, where she played Champa, a toy seller who fascinates the warden and inmates as she walks outside their jail.{{cite news |last=Krishnan |first=Raghu |title=The eyes have it |url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2003-05-25/news/27518299_1_shantaram-truths-open-jail |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120515222559/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2003-05-25/news/27518299_1_shantaram-truths-open-jail |url-status=dead |archive-date=15 May 2012 |access-date=29 July 2011 |newspaper=The Economic Times |date=25 May 2003}} In Navrang, she played the plain wife of the titular character, a poet, who creates a fantasy image of her as his beautiful and sensuous muse.{{cite book |title=The hundred luminaries of Hindi cinema |last=Dinesh Raheja |author-link=Dinesh Raheja |first=Jitendra Kothari |publisher=India Book House Publishers |year=1996 |isbn=81-7508-007-8 |pages=29}} The film contained the Holi song "Arre Ja Re Hatt Natkhat", where Sandhya dances with an elephant wearing dancing bells ghungroo.
She next starred in Stree (1961), a film version of Shakuntala's story from the Mahabharata. As the epic mentions that Shakuntala and her son Bharata lived in the wilderness among lions, Shantaram decided to include real lions in some scenes. Sandhya did not have a double for these scenes; she prepared by shadowing a lion tamer and practicing in the cage with the lions.{{cite book |title=Indian literature and popular cinema: recasting classics |year=2007 |publisher=Psychology Press |isbn=978-0-415-44741-6 |pages=71–72 |author=Heidi Rika Maria Pauwels}} Sandhya's last major role was in the Marathi version of Pinjra; her character is that of a tamasha artiste who falls in love with a school teacher out to reform her, played by Shriram Lagoo in his film debut.{{cite journal |last=Ramachandran |first=T.M. |title=Newfangled Techniques |journal=Film World |date=January 1977 |volume=13}}
In 2009, she made a special appearance at the V. Shantaram Awards ceremony to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Navrang.{{cite news |title=Rani Mukherji, Prakash Raj win V Shantaram awards |url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/rani-mukherji-prakash-raj-win-v-shantaram-awards/557790/0 |access-date=29 July 2011 |newspaper=The Indian Express |date=22 December 2009}}
Filmography
| class="wikitable"
!Year !Title !Role !Role !Ref. |
| rowspan="2" |1952
|Gunawati |
| Parchhain
|Kishori | rowspan="5" |Hindi | {{Citation needed|date=August 2024}} |
| 1953
|Shyama/Kokila |
| 1955
|Neela Devi |
| 1958
|Champa |
| 1959
|Jamuna/Mohini |
| 1961
|Stree | rowspan="2" |Hindi |{{Cite web |last=Hungama |first=Bollywood |date=24 January 2020 |title=Aaj Madhuvatas Dole Lyrics {{!}} Aaj Madhuvatas Dole Song Lyrics - Bollywood Hungama |website=Bollywood Hungama |url=https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/song-lyrics/char/S/movie/stree-2/song/aaj-madhuvatas-dole/ |access-date=14 December 2023 |language=en}} |
| 1963
|Angara | |
| 1966
|Rani Paigaonkar |Hindi |
| 1971
|Jal Bin Machhli Nritya Bin Bijli |Alaknanda "Alka" Verma |Hindi | |
| 1972
|Chandrakala Chandrawalkar | rowspan="2" |Marathi |
| 1975
|Chandanachi Choli Ang Ang Jali |Gaura |
Awards
- Filmfare Award Marathi for Best Actress for Pinjara{{Cite web |date=31 March 2022 |title='पिंजरा' तयार होतांना पडद्यामागे या १० इंटरेस्टिंग गोष्टी घडत होत्या |url=https://bolbhidu.com/pinjara-marathi-movie-completed-50-years/ |access-date=10 October 2024 |language=en-US}}
- Filmfare Award Marathi for Best Actress for Chandanachi Choli Ang Ang Jali
In popular culture
- In the 2018 Marathi biopic Ani... Dr. Kashinath Ghanekar, Amruta Khanvilkar paid homage to Sandhya's legacy by portraying her and recreating the iconic song "Tumhawar Keli Mi Marji Bahal" from Pinjara.{{Cite web |last=टीम |first=एबीपी माझा वेब |date=2018-11-07 |title='आणि... डॉ. काशिनाथ घाणेकर'मध्ये 'तुम्हावर केली...'ला नवा साज |url=https://marathi.abplive.com/entertainment/bollywood/ani-dr-kashinath-ghanekar-song-tumhawar-featuring-sumeet-raghvan-amruta-khanvilkar-602451?utm_source=chatgpt.com |access-date=2025-02-22 |website=marathi.abplive.com |language=mr}} The film is ranked as one of the highest grossing Marathi films of 2018.{{Cite web |title=Flashback 2018: Aapla Manus to Mauli, 10 Marathi movies that were released in 2018 and have earned in millions {{!}} Entertainment News |url=https://www.timesnownews.com/entertainment/news/people/photo-gallery/aapla-manus-to-mauli-10-marathi-movies-that-were-released-in-2018-and-have-earned-in-millions/333115 |access-date=2025-02-22 |website=www.timesnownews.com |language=en}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|0761890}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shantaram, Sandhya}}
Category:Indian film actresses
Category:Actresses in Hindi cinema
Category:Actresses in Marathi cinema