Shashikala Age, Death, Husband, Children, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About Shashikala

• Shashikala was a veteran Indian film and television actress.

• She was born and brought up in a Marathi family.
  

  An old photo of Shashikala with her family (standing second from the left)

• She used to participate in various acting, dancing, and singing competitions by the age of 5 in her hometown.

• When she was in her teenage, her father became seriously ill and bankrupt, and he brought his family to Mumbai. According to her family, she was the best-looking and most talented amongst her siblings, so they thought that if she could find some work in Hindi films, she could feed her family well.

• During the initial days in Mumbai, her family struggled for fulfilling their basic needs. She was the breadwinner of the family for which she worked as a house-help in the nearby households. ^[8]YouTube

• She used to wander from one film studio to another in search of work. In an interview, she said,

I had been a mela artist as a child in my hometown for years. At five, I was dancing, singing and acting in melas’ in many towns of Sholapur district. So naturally, I was to be the breadwinner for the family. We lived with friends, often eating only bread and water, and I wandered from studio to studio looking for work.”

• She then met the legendary singer and actor Noor Jehan. In 1945, Noor’s husband Shaukat Hussain Rizvi was making the Hindi film ‘Zeenat,’ and he offered Shashikala a Qawwali scene in the film for which she received Rs. 25 only. ^[9]Tribune India
  

  Shashikala in her younger days

• She then did cameo roles in many Hindi films like ‘Chand’ (1944), ‘Jugnu’ (1947), and ‘Doli’ (1947).
  

  An old photo of Shashikala

• She came into the limelight with the 1948 film ‘Pugree’ which was produced by Prem Narayan Arora.

• She acted in more than 100 films including ‘Chacha Chowdhury’ (1953), ‘Sangam’ (1954), ‘Phool Aur Patthar’ (1966), ‘Anokha Bandhan’ (1982), and ‘Mujhse Shaadi Karogi’ (2004).

• In her early 20s, she got married to Om Prakash Saigal, but soon, troubles started arising in their married life. One day, she decided to leave her husband and two daughters, and she eloped abroad with her boyfriend. Her boyfriend used to torture her mentally and physically, so she decided to return to India. In an interview, she said,

Yes, destiny wasn’t done with playing me a bad hand. Differences between my husband and me worsened when the kids were in boarding. That’s when in a misguided moment straight out of my film Gumrah, I eloped with another man abroad, leaving behind my husband, kids and career. It was the biggest mistake of my life for which I paid dearly. I was humiliated and tortured for days till I returned crazy and broken. For days, I roamed the streets like a madwoman, sleeping on pavements, eating what I could lay my hands on, touring ashrams and temples in search of peace.” ^[10]DNA India

• At that time, she was depressed and decided to stay in Calcutta where she joined Mother Teresa’s organisation. While talking about it in an interview, she said,

My true release came when I met Mother Teresa in Calcutta and worked for nine years in her various homes, cleaning latrines, sweeping floors and wards, loving leprosy patients, cuddling orphans and staying by the deathbed of many.”

Shashikala with Mother Teresa

• Later, Shashikala restarted her career in acting and moved to Mumbai from Calcutta.

• The famous Hindi song “Dadi Maa Dadi Maa” from the Hindi film ‘Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani’ (1988) was picturised on her.

• Apart from films, Shashikala also appeared in the Hindi TV serials like ‘Dil Deke Dekho’ (2016) on Sab TV and ‘Son Pari’ (2000) on Star Plus.