// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs Leena Chandavarkar a star? Because she's a reel celebrity.
Leena Chandavarkar | |
|---|---|
 Chandavarkar in 2014 | |
| Born | 29 August 1950[1] Dharwad, Karnataka State, India |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1968–1989 |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 1[3] |
| Relatives |
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Leena Chandavarkar (born 29 August 1950) is an Indian actress who appeared in Hindi films as a leading actress and now appears in reality shows. She was active during the late 1960s and early 1970s. She played the heroine opposite many notable Hindi film actors of that era. She was frequently paired with Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra, Jeetendra, Sanjeev Kumar, Vinod Khanna, Shammi Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Sunil Dutt, and Raaj Kumar.
Early life
[edit]Leena Chandavarkar was born to Army Officer Sreenath Chandavarkar at Dharwad in Karnataka in 1950.[citation needed] She comes from a Konkani family. [citation needed]
Career
[edit]Chandavarkar came into the limelight after finishing as one of the runners-up for the Fresh Face competition organized across the country by Filmfare. Initially she worked in advertisements, and eventually ventured into film.
She was supposed to debut with the film Maseeha (1967), opposite Sunil Dutt and costarring Raaj Kumar and Mumtaz, under the direction of Sunil Dutt. The film was shelved, and she made her debut under the direction of Dutt with the movie Man ka Meet in 1968.[4] The movie was a hit and she became an overnight star.
Between 1969 and 1979, Chandavarkar acted in many films. She was one of the topmost heroines in the early 70s, alongside Hema Malini and Mumtaz.[citation needed] She was cast opposite many popular heroes of that era. She gave one of her best performances in Mehboob Ki Mehndi with Rajesh Khanna in 1971.[5] In Bairaag (1976), she acted with Dilip Kumar and an ensemble star cast of Saira Bano, Prem Chopra and Helen.[citation needed]
She appeared as a guest judge for the first two episodes of K for Kishore, a reality TV singing show launched by Sony TV in December 2007. She is now[when?] appearing in reality shows.
She also penned some songs for Amit Kumar and Rajesh Bambal for a music album. [citation needed]
Personal life
[edit]Chandavarkar had an arranged marriage to her first husband, Siddharth Bandodkar, who came from a prominent Goan-Marathi political family. Shashikala Kakodkar, the elder sister of Siddharth, was then the chief minister of Goa, Daman and Diu. Siddharth was the son of Dayanand Bandodkar, the first chief minister of Goa, Daman and Diu. Siddharth died from an accidental gunshot wound, a few days into the marriage, leaving Chandavarkar a widow at age 25.[6]
A few years later, she married playback singer Kishore Kumar. Her father initially objected because Kumar had been married three times already, and was more than 20 years older than her, but he soon came around and welcomed Kumar into the family.[7] She has a son with Kumar named Sumeet. Kumar died in 1987, leaving Chandavarkar once again a widow at age 37. She lives with her son Sumeet,[3] her step-son Amit Kumar, and his wife.[citation needed]
Chandavarkar quit Bollywood after marriage with singing legend Kishore Kumar, only to later return for two movies.[8]
Filmography
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "The hardships of Leena Chandavarkar". 4 February 2019. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2019 – via YouTube.
- ↑ "After being widowed at the age of 25, Leena Chandavarkar married a 25-year-older singer". 1 September 2018. Retrieved 8 September 2019 – via YouTube.[dead YouTube link]
- 1 2 "Kishore Kumar's son Sumeet Kumar to sing title track of film 'Naach'". India Today Dot In. 13 September 2004. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ↑ "Leena Chandavarkar gets candid about life, love and marriage". filmfare.com. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
- ↑ Malhotra, Aps (4 June 2015). "Mehboob Ki Mehndi (1971)". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
- ↑ "Target Goa: Siddharth Bandodkar passed away too soon". Retrieved 22 April 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "Kishoreda came home & sang till my parents agreed to our marriage: Leena Chandavarkar - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
- ↑ "Can't change one's destiny". Deccan Chronicle. 11 August 2011. Archived from the original on 15 August 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
