Meet actress who was called a bad girl for defying…, worked with several superstars, was once India’s highest paid actress

This actress, with her daring defiance of societal norms, was branded the ‘bad girl’. The actress is none other than…

In 1967, a bold on-screen moment caused a stir across the nation when an actress became the first to wear a bikini in a film. The controversial look not only raised eyebrows in the film industry but also in Parliament. She later went on to pose for Filmfare Magazine in a black and white floral bikini, becoming the first actress in the country to do so. With her daring defiance of societal norms, she was branded the ‘bad girl’. The actress is none other than Sharmila Tagore.

The actress was called a ‘bad girl’

Sharmila Tagore always defied conventions and made her own decisions. In a recent conversation with eTimesshe shared that while most actresses of her time were chaperoned, back in the day, she wasn’t. As an independent, single woman in an industry that favoured demure, she was often labelled as the “bad girl.” She said, “When I joined films, working in films was deeply frowned upon. Therefore, the film industry also withdrew. They had their own little club. They also stayed away from society because it was very judgmental. The male actors were accepted, but the women were not respected.”

She also talked about the time when a mob hurled mud at her and threatened to set fire to the train she was travelling in. Yet, things eventually changed. She said, “I came from a different kind of family. I was GN Tagore’s daughter. I knew who I was, and I had self-confidence. I didn’t really care much about what others said about me. I was exactly the same then as I am now… But because I lived alone in a hotel, I was not chaperoned, people had different ideas. I became a social suspect. Others were from Maharashtra, they were chaperoned, they wore white, they didn’t drink alcohol. I was different, so I was the ‘bad girl’.”

The actress also shared that after her marriage, she began receiving a different kind of respect. She said, “Even I felt, once upon a time, that I would be whistled at, or I would get that kind of admiration. When you get married, there is a different kind of respect. And when you become a mother, then you’ve joined the collective. I remember going to Hyderabad, and a car had to come to collect me. Within minutes a crowd gathered, and people asked me if my son needed to be taken care of, they took me to another room, brought me a chair… It was a different kind of reception altogether.”

About the actress

Sharmila Tagore started her acting career with Satyajit Ray’s Apur Sansar in 1959, as an ill-fated bride. Later, she made her Hindi film debut with Shakti Samanta’s Kali of Kashmir in 1964, alongside Shammi Kapoor. She was later featured in several hits, including During (1965), Anupama (1966), Dear (1966), Aamne aamne (1967), Aradhana (1969) and Safar (1970). According to reports, Sharmila Tagore was India’s top-paid actress in the late 1960s and early 1970s.