Parveen Babi

Parveen Babi Biography

Parveen Babi, Zeenat Aman and Reena Roy – we can group these three actresses as a trio who ruled the Bollywood with their glamour quotient from 1973 -1986. Yes, the glamour world of Bollywood heroines exclusively belongs to these three. Through the wide range of roles chosen by Parveen Babi, she was the strong contender of the top two ladies of B’town and has proved her talent in the wide range of roles she played alongside the leading actors that time. She was the first Indian actor to appear in the front page of Time Magazine (1976).

She began her career during early 70’s as a model and entered Bollywood through Charitra in 1973. After a series of flops, her first hit movie was Majboor, opposite Big B. together they worked for 8 movies and all have become successful too. Amitabh Bachchan is considered to be most successful co-star of Parveen Babi, and together they have delivered many blockbusters like Deewar, Kaalia, Shaan, Amar Akbar Antony, Namak Halal, Mahaan and Majboor. Though not paired opposite, they have worked together in superhit movies Kaala Pathar and Suhaag, where Sashi Kapoor played the role of her love interest. ‘Do aur do panch’ is another movie of Big B-Parveen Babi pair, though not successful.

She has also acted in many suspense thrillers of 70’s like 36 Ghante and Ulchan. Apart from Amitabh Bachchan and Shashi Kapoor, she was successfully paired with Shatrughan Sinha, Jeetendra, Rajesh Khanna, Vinod Khanna, Manoj Kumar, Rishi Kapoor, Dharmendra, Feroz Khan and Sanjeev Kumar as well. So, she was paired with almost all leading actors of Bollywood and in most of them, she was presented as a glamour girl. Throughout her movies, she gave a new look to Indian woman. Rather than being sari claded, she presented Indian woman as modernized and self dependent and that’s the reason why she was chosen for modern roles by directors.

Though she was at the top during 1980’s, she withdrew herself suddenly without informing anyone. Later she accused many leading celebrities including Big B that they have tried to murder her. In 2005, January 22 she was found dead at her own residence at Mumbai. Later a movie was made by director Mahesh Batt, based on her biography titled ‘Woh Lamhe’ and was released in 2006. It showed his personal relationship with Parveen Babi and her addiction to liquor. Whole throughout the life she has been associated with many married men including Big B,  Mahesh Batt, Danny Denzopia and Kabir Bedi, though she remained unmarried till the end of her life.   

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Updated: May 27, 2018