A Bengali actress who achieved success young, Sharmila appeared in numerous Bengali classics before making the jump to Hindi cinema, which first made her a romantic actress and later a legendary actress thanks to her intense films opposite Superstar Rajesh Khanna. A distant relative of poet Rabindranath Tagore, she is also the wife of His Highness Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, Nawab of Pataudi, with whom she has three children, actor Saif Ali Khan born 16 August 1970, Saba and Soha Ali Khan, born 4 October 1978. Her pairing with Shammi Kapoor made her famous in the sixties but as an actress she evolved and became popular due to different films, each belonging to different genre, she did opposite the Superstar Rajesh Khanna.The pair gave 6 box office blockbusters and 3 unfortunate box office flops which were critically acclaimed films. Sharmila’s pairing opposite male actors Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra and Shashi Kapoor was loved by the audiences, though Khanna-Sharmila pair remained the most popular with both critics and audience.
Sharmila Tagore
Movies
Kashmir Ki Kali
Rajiv has come of age; his now-dead father had built up a flourishing business and had become a millionaire, and his widowed Mother wants to keep Rajiv on the straight and narrow. The best way would be to find him a good wife to encourage him to settle down. But…
Aashik Aawara
Kedarnath is a wealthy man with many enemies. One day, a taxi-driver, Dilher Singh, saves his life, but is killed instead. Kedarnath is grateful and is willing to look after Dilher’s widow and son. But his enemies find out about this, and substitute a woman named Sheela and her son,…
Safar
Neela and Avinash are medical students, and are attracted to each other. But Avinash is poor and wants Neela to live a comfortable life. When Neela, who tutors Monto Kappor, meets his elder businessman brother, Shekhar, he instantly falls in love with her. He goes to propose marriage with her…
Sawan Ki Ghata
Gopal and Seema are two small children who live in a small town in India. While Gopal lives with Bansilal, who he believes to be his father, the much more wealthy Seema lives with her dad, Rana, who does not approve of her friendship with Gopal. He wants Bansilal to…
Aradhana
Arun meets Vandana during a vacation and very soon they secretly get married.Arun is a air force pilot an dies in a crash leaving pregnant Vandana heartbroken.As her marriage was never formalized she decides not to accept the kid her father to dies in between this.Vandana gives birth to her…
Mann
Karan Dev Singh and Priya Verma are to get married to their respective partners but before this could happen Karan who is a flirt manages to meet with Priya on a cruise that hails from Singapore to India. They meet, fight, befriend each other and eventually fall in love fully…
Mere Humsafar
Raju is his real name but due to his unhealthy and unkempt manner of living, he is called “Junglee” by everyone in his village, all save for ex-convict Ustad Anwar who has served time for murder, and his father. When Raju’s dad passes away, the local money-lender gives him an…
Songs
Morning Walk
Professor Joymohan stays alone in Kolkata. He is a heart patient and when he gets a severe heart attack on his birthday he realizes he needs to spend as much time with his family in Mumbai as possible. He then goes to Mumbai to his son Indra, daughter in law…
Break Ke Baad
Mumbai-based Aaliya Khan and Abhay Gulati have been close friends for over a decade but Aaliya is not prepared to take this relationship to a marriage. Instead, without any warning, she decides to re-locate to Australia, to live with her aunt. Upon arrival, she finds her aunt very stern and…
Nayak
A matinee idol Arindam Mukherjee (Uttam Kumar) is going by train to collect an acting award. On the train, he is confronted by a journalist Aditi (Sharmila Tagore) who somewhat unwillingly starts to take his interview. Arindam, won over by Aditi’s naivete, starts to disclose his past, his fears and…
Chupke Chupke
Raghav brags that he can smell a rat or an impersonator automatically, and Dr. Parimal Tripathi decides to take him on – result: funny family slapstick comedy, with a dose of pure Hindi and Urdu thrown in, especially the dialogue delivery by Om Prakash, Dharmendra, and Amitabh Bachchan. Notable songs…
Daag
Sunil and Sonia are attracted to each other, and both get married. On the way to celebrate their honeymoon, they spend a night at Sunil’s boss’s bungalow, which is occupied by his son, Dhiraj. Dhiraj welcomes the two, and allows them to spend the night. Next morning, when Sunil leaves…
Fun Facts
Mother of Saif Ali Khan, Saba Ali Khan and Soha Ali Khan.
She has been appointed the new Chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification in India, taking over from Anupam Kher, who has thus far not resigned from this position.
Her father's name is Gitindranath Tagore.
Her husband, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, died on September 22, 2011 from respiratory failure at age 70 after 41 years of marriage. They had three children.
Gave birth to her third child at age 31, a daughter Soha Ali Khan on October 4, 1978. Child's father is her late husband, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi.
Gave birth to her second child, a daughter Saba Ali Khan in 1976. Child's father is her late husband, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi.
Gave birth to her first child at age 23, a son Saif Ali Khan on August 16, 1970. Child's father is her late husband, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi.
Sharmila Tagore was 2nd highest paid Hindi actress from 1966-1969 along-with Nanda and Waheeda Rehmaan and became the highest paid actress along-with Mumtaz from 1970-1975 after her pair with Superstar Rajesh Khanna was appreciated with audience.
Sharmila Tagore had 6 box-office hits with Rajesh Khanna - Aradhana, Amar Prem, Avishkaar, Safar, Daag, Choti Bahu and 3 other films were critically acclaimed but were box-office flops - Maalik, Tyaag and Raja Rani.
Aunt of model/actress Nafisa Joesph. Nafisa's mother Usha Joesph is Sharmila's first cousin.
Mother-in-law of actress Kareena Kapoor. Kareena's mother is actress Babita Kapoor. Babita's aunt is actress Sadhana, who worked with Sharmila many years earlier in the blockbuster Waqt (1965).
Sister of actress and costume designer Oindrila Tagore.
Her former secretary was actor N. Kabir. N.Kabir was married to actor Murad's daughter. N. Kabir has two children. Actress and singer Sanobir Kabir and actor, director Farook Kabir.
Sharmila Tagore's sister Romila Tagore married Nikhil Sen. Nikhil is the brother of model Nandini Sen. Nandini Sen and Gautam Berry are the parents of Tara Alisha Berry. Gautam Berry is also the father of actor Sikander (From his first marriage to Kiron Kher).
She worked with Sadhana in Waqt (1965) and they both did their dubbing together. She said she heard Sadhana gasp, when she saw how her appearance had changed from one frame to the next because of her thyroid disorder. They both became related to each other many years later when Sharmila's son Saif Ali Khan married Kareena Kapoor whose mother Babita Kapoor is Sadhana's niece.
A Bengali Hindu Brahmin, she converted to Islam when she fell in love with Muslim cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan and married him.
Although she liked Rajesh Khanna and they formed a hit pair in films, eventually she started turning down offers to act in films with him. He was always late to work, and she needed to be home at an earlier time because of her husband and children. After he died in 2012, she wrote the foreword on a biography on Khanna titled "Dark Star"" (2014).
Her celebrity crush is Shashi Kapoor