Padma Khanna (Actress) Age, Husband, Children, Family, Biography & More

Bio/Wiki
Profession	Actress
Famous Role	"Kaikeyi" in Ramanand Sagar's "Ramayan" (1987)
Career
Debut	Bhojpuri Film: Bhaiya (1961) Hindi Film: Biwi Aur Makaan (1966) Gujarati Film: Gher Gher Matina Chula (1977) Punjabi Film: Jindri Yaar Di (1978) Marathi Film: Devta (1983) TV: Ramayan (1987)
Personal Life
Date of Birth	10 March 1949 (Thursday)
Age (as of 2023)	74 Years
Birthplace	Patna, Bihar
Zodiac sign	Pisces
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
Hobbies	Dancing, Listening to Music
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Widow
Affairs/Boyfriends	Not Known
Marriage Date	Year, 1986
Family
Husband/Spouse	Jagdish L. Sidana (film director)
Children	Son- Akshar Sidana Daughter- Neha Sidana
Favourite Things
Actress	Sridevi

Some Lesser Known Facts About Padma Khanna

• Padma Khanna is an Indian actress who is best known for playing the role of “Kaikeyi” in Ramanand Sagar‘s Ramayan (1987).

• At the age of 7, she started learning Kathak under the tutelage of Guru Kishan Maharaj of Varanasi.

• She then learned advanced Kathak from late Indian dancer Gopi Krishna.

• The actresses Padmini and Vyjayanthimala were the first ones who had encouraged her to visit Bombay for her acting career. Padma says,
  

  I used to learn Kathak from the age of seven and dancing actresses like Padmini and Vyjayanthimala initi­ated the idea of coming to Bom­bay.”

• She started her acting career as a child artist in 1961 with the Bhojpuri film ‘Bhaiya.’ She also worked in another Bhojpuri film ‘Ganga Maiyya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo’ (1962). However, these films toppled at the box office, and she returned to her hometown Varanasi.
  

  Padma Khanna in the Bhojpuri Film Ganga Maiyya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo

• It was on the insistence of Gopi Krishna that she visited Bombay for a second time. She says,
  

  I couldn’t adjust to the film atmos­phere and so I went back to Benaras. I returned a couple of months later at the insistence of Gopi Krishna Bhaiya and this time it was to stay.”

• In 1970, she made her breakthrough in Bollywood with the film ‘Johny Mera Naam’ in which she played the role of a cabaret dancer- Tara.
  

  Padma Khanna in Johny Mera Naam

• In Pakeezah (1972), she played the body double of Meena Kumari.

• Another highlight of her career is the film Saudagar (1973) in which she worked alongside Amitabh Bachchan.
  

  Padma Khanna with Amitabh Bachchan in Saudagar

• Her portrayal of ‘Kaikeyi’ in Ramanand Sagar‘s mythological television show ‘Ramayan’ (1987-1988) made her a household name in India.
  

  Padma Khanna as Kaikeyi in Ramayan

• In her prolific career, Khanna worked in more than 400 films in different languages, such as Hindi, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, Punjabi, and Marathi. ^[1]Patrika

• In her initial films, she mostly played soft, gentle village girl roles in films, such as ‘Saaz Aur Awaz,’ ‘Baharon Ke Sapne,’ ‘Aashirwad,’ ‘Rahgir,’ and  ‘Heer Ranjha.’

• After ‘Johny Mera Naam,’ Padma Khanna was typecast into vampish/negative roles throughout her career in the ’70s and ’80s.

• In 1990, Padma, along with her husband Jagdish L. Sidana, shifted to New Jersey, U.S., where she runs a dance academy called ‘Indianica.’
  

  Padma Khanna at Her Dance Academy

• In 2008, she, along with 64 actors and dancers, acted in & choreographed a musical, which was based on the epic ‘Ramayana’ at Avery Fisher Hall, New York City. Notably, the play was directed by her now-deceased husband, Jagdish L. Sidana.