Parveen Babi Birth Anniversary: Lesser Known Facts About Bollywood's Most Glamorous Heroine

It is Parveen Babi's birth anniversary and we can't miss talking about her glamour. She was one of the most glamorous actresses of her time. Her screen presence, her sense of style, Parveen Babi completely changed the image of a Hindi film heroine. Parveen Babi made her Bollywood debut with the movie Charitira in the year 1973. Through her journey in the world of cinema, shegave a lot of hit movies on the silver screen.

Through 70s and 80s, it was the golden period of the film industry and one reason behind it is the actress Parveen Babi. Her demise broke a lot of hearts. Parveen Babi was diagnosed with diabetes and she died because of multiple organ failure in the year 2005. Today, on her birth anniversary, let's take a look at the lesser-known facts about the actress.

Highest-Paid Actress

Parveen Babi entered Hindi films with a lot of confidence. She was successful in changing the image of a Hindi film heroine. She was often compared to Zeenat Aman. As we said, she was one of the most glamorous actresses of her era. But do you know that she was one of the highest paid actresses of those times?

Leaving Films

Parveen Babi vanished from the world of cinema in the year 1983. There were a lot of rumors around the news. While some said, she went to America, others say that she was under the control of some underworld people. However, she returned to Mumbai in the year 1989. When she came back, she looked completely unrecognisable. She had put on a lot of weight.

Her Failed Relationships

Parveen Babi never married anyone but a lot was spoken about her personal life all through her career in the industry. She was said to be in a relationship with many of her co-stars including Kabir Bedi, Amitabh Bachchan and Danny Denzongpa. She was also in a relationship with filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt. Her relationship with Mahesh Bhatt being a really serious one.After her demise, Mahesh Bhatt directed Woh Lambhe in the year 2006 which was based on his relationship with Parveen.

Her Health Issues

Not many know that in early 80s, Parveen was diagnosed with schizophrenia which is said to be a mental disorder and is often characterised by problem in thinking, perception. A person suffering from this problem is also said to have psychotic experiences. It is believed that all these health issues triggered after her failed relationships. Years after Parveen's death, Mahesh in an interview once shared that he failed to see any signs of her illness. He said, "How can I ever forget that heartbreaking image of her, when I walkedin tothe house that evening, and found Parveen, in make-up and a filmy costume, cowering in a corner, with a knife in her hand, shivering with fear? She looked like an animal, one that I had never seen before. ‘Close the door Mahesh,’ she whispered. ‘They are coming to kill us. Close the door quickly!’” He added, “’The tape (sent by her) contained a letter that Parveen had recorded and sent me, in which she talked about her approaching illness, her loneliness and her need to get out of the entertainment business. The silences between her words spoke to me more eloquently than her words did. The only regret I have is that I couldn’t see her illness coming. Looking back, Irealisenow that there were so many signs that I just failed to read.” However, in an interview, she also hinted that it was a conspiracy of the film industry to destroy her image.

Parveen Babi passed through a lot of difficult phases throughout her life. However, her contribution to Indian cinema is special and we will always remember her for it.

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