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Early years
Shashikala was born as one among six siblings in Solāpur, Mahārāshtra in a well-to-do Marāthi-speaking Jāwalkar family. By age 5, she had aleady been dancing, singing, and acting on stage in many towns in Solapur district.
When Shashikala was in her preteens, through ill luck, her father became bankrupt, and he brought his family to Bombay (Mumbai) with the thought that Shashikala, the best looking and talented among his children, could find work in movies. For some time, the family lived with friends, and barely survived, while Shashikala wandered from studio to studio looking for work. She earned in bits and pieces till she met Noor Jehān, the reigning screen queen of the era.
Noor Jehan's husband, Shaukat, was making a movie Zeenat then, and included Shashikala in a qawwāli scene. The film was to be in Urdu, so Shashikala quickly learned to speak that language. She received 25 rupees for her role. She struggled on, and got small roles in movies made by P. N. Arorā, Amiya Chakravarti, and a few other producers. She got a role in V. Shāntārām’s Teen Batti Chār Rāstā, and a few other movies.
While in her early twenties, Shashikala met and married Om Prakāsh Saigal, who belonged to the Kundan Lāl Saigal family, and had two daughters.
Acclaimed Supporting Roles
In Tārāchand Barjatya’s highly successful movie, Ārati, starring Meenā Kumāri, Ashok Kumār, and Pradeep Kumār, Shashikala performed superbly as a vamp, and offers began to pour in to her for similar roles. She performed in Jangalee, Anupamā, Sujātā, Phool Aur Patthar, Āyi Milan Ki Belā, Gumrāh, Waqt, and Khubsoorat.
Meenā Kumāri, Nutan, Sharmilā Tagore, Malā Sinhā, and Waheedā Rehmān have been among the leading actresses with whom Shashikala performed in supporting roles. While the female lead costars in the involved movies usually played roles of good-natured or pious women, Shashikala usually played flighty women who pouted and plotted the downfall of others. Later in her acting career, she would typically play the role of a cruel sister or mother-in-law. She performed in supporting roles in well over 100 movies.
Āshā Bhosle was often the playback singer for Shashikala in her earlier career. Sheeshe Se Pee and Bheegi Bheegi Faza are two popular songs which Asha had sung for Shashikala.
Personal life
In an interview[1] in 1999, Shashikala said:
"At about this time, I had serious differences with my husband, and was misguided by a friend to leave him. This was a mistake I made, and I suffered agonies of guilt because my children were badly hurt. I tortured myself when my family was hurt and therefore turned against me. I had no one to look to and became a wreck — emotionally and physically. I wandered around looking for a way to regain my lost peace, but my self-torture only got worse. I lived in Pune, did social work, I went to Calcuttā, worked in Āshrams, but to little avail. For 16 years, I went religiously to the Vipashana Centre near Nāsik and here, through total devotion and dedication, I cured myself to a certain extent.
"'My true release came when I met Mother Teresa in Calcutta, and worked for nine years in her various homes, cleaning latrines, sweeping floors and wards, loving leprosy patients, cuddling orphans and staying by the deathbed of many. Throughout these years, I received incomparable love from the Mother, whose blessings and hand of mercy was always over my head. Her love was infinite and slowly, through her healing, I became peaceful and confident again. I washed out the sorrow of my deprived childhood, my untimely and heavy responsibilities, the loss of my parents and the guilt of my mistake — all in one blissful touch from the Mother.
"I still work for her institutions. But to rebuild my career, I had to come to Mumbai and start the third phase of my career in the film industry. I have helped many industry people including Dilip Kumār and Sāira Bānu, to meet the Mother, and they too have overcome their agitation and trauma through her touch and mercy.
"I have earned lifelong peace and lost all my fear. I could bear the sorrow of my daughter’s death when she died of cancer because of the courage Mother gave me. Today, I live like an American, doing all my work myself with total self reliance. My husband is ill and confined to our farm in Nainital. I visit him often. My other daughter lives in Calcutta and we often have good times together. I manage my career, my money and my life by myself. Meditation, prayer and Mother’s love which envelopes [sic] me fully, keep me young and fit."
Recent Acting Roles
In the past ten years, Shashikala has performed in a few television serials, including Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hau for Sony, Apnaapan for Zee TV, and Dil Deke Dekho for Star Plus. She has also had successful roles in Mother ‘98, Pardesi Babu, Agniputra (with Mithun Chakraborty), Baadshah, Mujhase Shaadi Karogi and Chori Chori.
Awards
Shashikala has received eight nominations for the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award, and won the award twice:
- 1962: Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award, for a role in Aarti
- 1963: Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award, for a role in Gumrah
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