Sharmila Tagore

Sharmila Tagore (; born 8 December 1944) also known by her married name Begum Ayesha Sultana, is an Indian actress primarily known for her work in Hindi and Bengali films. Widely recognized as one of the greatest actresses of Indian cinema, she is known for her portrayals of intense, dramatic, and nuanced characters across a variety of genres. Tagore is a recipient of two National Film Awards, a Filmfare Award, a Filmfare OTT Award and the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2013,the Government of India, honoured her with Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian honour for her contributions to Indian culture through performing arts.

Born into the prominent Tagore family, one of the leading families of Calcutta and a key influence during the Bengali Renaissance, Tagore made her acting debut at age 14 with Satyajit Ray's acclaimed Bengali epic drama ''The World of Apu'' (1959). She went on to collaborate with Ray on numerous other films, including ''Devi'' (1960), ''Nayak'' (1966), ''Aranyer Din Ratri'' (1970), and ''Seemabaddha'' (1971), her other Bengali films over the time included Barnali (1963), Shes Anko (1963), Nirjan Saikate (1965), Amanush (1975), Anand Ashram (1977), and Kalankini Kankabati (1981);thus establishing herself as one of the most acclaimed actresses of Bengali cinema.

Tagore's career further expanded when she ventured into Hindi films with Shakti Samanta's romance ''Kashmir Ki Kali'' (1964). She established herself as one of the leading actresses of Hindi cinema with films like ''Waqt'' (1965), ''Anupama'' (1966), ''Devar'' (1966), ''An Evening in Paris'' (1967), ''Aamne Saamne'' (1967), ''Satyakam'' (1969), ''Aradhana'' (1969), ''Safar'' (1970), ''Amar Prem'' (1972), ''Daag'' (1973), Aa Gale Lag Jaa (1973), ''Avishkaar'' (1974), ''Chupke Chupke'' (1975), ''Mausam'' (1975), and ''Namkeen'' (1982). She won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for ''Aradhana'' and the National Film Award for Best Actress for ''Mausam''. This was followed by intermittent film appearances in the subsequent decades, including in Sunny(1984), Swati(1986), New Delhi Times (1986), Mira Nair's ''Mississippi Masala'' (1991) and Goutam Ghose's ''Abar Aranye'' (2002), which won her the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress, ''Shubho Mahurat'' (2003), and in the Hindi films ''Aashik Awara'' (1993), ''Mann'' (1999), ''Viruddh'' (2005), ''Eklavya'' (2007) and ''Break Ke Baad'' (2010). Following a hiatus of 13 years, she made her film comeback with the drama ''Gulmohar'' (2023) followed by a critically acclaimed performance in ''Puratawn'' (2025).

In 1999, Sharmila Tagore was honoured by the French government with the ''Insignes de Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters), one of France's highest distinctions for contributions to the Art and Culture.

During the 1960s and 1970s, her distinctive fashion choices established her as an influential figure in shaping contemporary Indian style.

Apart from acting, Tagore has also served as the chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification from October 2004 to March 2011. In December 2005, she was chosen as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. She was married to cricketer and the Nawab of Pataudi, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, with whom she had three children—actors Saif and Soha, and jewellery designer Saba. Provided by Wikipedia