Tanuja Samarth, known mononymously as Tanuja, is a noted Indian actress known for her exceptional work in both Hindi and Bengali films such as Memdidi (1961), Chand Aur Suraj (1965), Haathi Mere Saathi (1971), and Do Chor (1972). She is also the mother of famous Indian actresses Kajol and Tanishaa.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Tanuja was born in 1943 (age 80 years; by 2023) in a Marathi family in Bombay Presidency, British India (now Mumbai, Maharashtra, India). Tanuja’s childhood was focused on films and cameras as four generations of the Samarth family have been a part of the film industry.
Younger Tanuja (far right) with her mother and siblings
His keen interest in films was naturally ingrained in his genes due to his parents. Being a high school graduate, he enrolled at St. Joseph’s, Panchgani India and St. George’s, Switzerland to obtain his formal qualification. In an era when actresses refused to take off the Sati-Savitri outfit even after pack-up, it took Tanuja seconds to transform into her charming natural avatar. He didn’t feel the need to add cola to his drink or go to the restroom for a while. He also broke new ground as an artist by adopting the underprivileged. There is no ostentatious exuberance here. Tanuja was always indifferent to both tradition and competition, a friend to her co-stars and a non-rival to her rivals.
Physical Appearance
Height (Approx): 5′ 1″
Hair Color: Natural Black
Eye Colour: Newborn Gray
Family
parents and siblings
Tanuja’s mother, Shobhana Samarth, was an actress, and her father, Kumarsen Samarth, was a film producer; He himself started his career at the age of five.
Filmmaker Kumarsen Samarth and actress Shobhana Samarth
Tanuja has three sisters and one brother. One of his sisters, Nutan, is also an actress.
Tanuja with her elder sister Nutan
Tanuja with her sister Chatura Samarth
Tanuja’s mother Shobhana produced the first films for both Tanuja and Nutan. His other sisters are Chatura, an artist, and Reshma, and his brother is Jaideep, neither of whom has pursued a career in acting. His parents were divorced during his childhood days. Tanuja had said in an interview that her parents got divorced when her brother was young. He was quoted as saying:
My parents separated even before my brother was born: Jaideep was not born when my parents went their separate ways. Although they were no longer husband and wife, they were still mom and dad to us. In fact, father used to visit us almost every day. Around the same time, Mother decided that I would study at St. George’s in Switzerland because I was interested in languages. While living in Switzerland, Dad wrote me in German and I always replied in German. ,
Tanuja with her brother Jaideep Samarth
husband and children
Tanuja met late filmmaker Shomu Mukherjee on the sets of her film Ek Baar Muskura Do (1972), and the two instantly fell in love and married in 1973.
Tanuja and Shomu Mukherjee
The couple welcomed their first child, Kajol, in 1974, and later had another child, Tanisha, in 1978.
Tanuja with her daughters Tanisha and Kajol
Shomu Mukherjee with his daughters Tanisha and Kajol
However, it didn’t end well for Tanuja and Shomu Mukherjee for very long. The couple split due to differences between the two. Regardless of the situation, they had decided to co-parent their two daughters.
other relatives
Tanuja is the aunt of some famous Bollywood names such as Mohnish Behl (Actor), Ayan Mukerji (Director), Sujoy Mukerji (Actor) and Rani Mukerji (Actor). Her grandmother Ratan Bai and her cousin Nalini Jaywant were also actresses.
Tanuja with her daughter Tanisha and actress Rani Mukerji
livelihood
film
Tanuja started her career with her elder sister Nutan in her first film Hamari Beti (1950), which was produced by her own mother, Shobhana Samarth.
Poster of Tanuja’s debut film
Tanuja’s first film. our daughter
A decade later, in 1960, another of his home productions was titled Chabeeli. Unfortunately, none of these releases did well in making a mark for him. The turning point in Tanuja’s career was her film Hamari Yaad Aayegi (1961), directed by Kidar Sharma, the producer of the unbeatable careers of Raj Kapoor and Madhubala. Tanuja did not limit herself only to Hindi films, she started working parallelly in Bengali and Marathi films and made a mark. Even though Tanuja’s career was full of ups and downs, she did not back down. Then came the great Kishore Kumar starrer Do Dooni Chaar in which Tanuja was widely appreciated for her wonderful comic timing. Tanuja was also a part of the 1967 Indian biographical musical drama film Antony Firangi directed by Sunil Banerjee, starring Uttam Kumar and Tanuja as lead actors. The film did exceptionally well at the box office owing to its out-of-the-box concept.
Later in 1969, with its surprising storyline, Jeene Ki Raah brought Jeetendra and Tanuja together on screen and was a box office hit like no other. Only then Tanuja came to know that now no one can stop her. After taking a break from films, Tanuja is still pursuing her passion for acting and is doing wonders for herself.
Television
Tanuja started her television journey in 1985 with a series named ‘Khandaan’, which aired on Doordarshan. It received phenomenal viewership and aimed to become the first long-running soap opera of Indian television. Later in 1994, Tanuja was roped in for another TV series- ‘Junoon’. It was initially aired on Doordarshan and aired for five years, creating a record for the ‘longest running prime-time program on Doordarshan’. In 2008, Tanuja starred as a judge in Zee TV’s family dance series, Rock-n-Roll Family, alongside her daughter Kajol and son-in-law Ajay Devgn.
Tanuja, Ajay Devgan and Kajol in the rock-n-roll family
In 2017, Tanuja appeared in a historical fiction television series- ‘Aarambh: Kahani Devasena Ki’, which was produced by Rose Audio Visuals and aired on Star Plus.
Tanuja in the Beginning – Story of Devasena
Awards, Nominations and Honors
- Best Supporting Actress for Paisa Ya Pyaar (1970)
- Best Actress for Adalat O Ekti Meye (1981)
- Nomination for Best Supporting Actress for Jewel Thief (1968)
- Filmfare Life Achievement Award (2014)
Tanuja receives lifetime achievement award from actor Amitabh Bachchan
- Bengal Film Journalists’ Association Award for Best Supporting Actress (Hindi), Benazir (1964)
- Best Actress Award at the 20th Life OK Screen Awards, for the Marathi movie Pitrurun (2013)
- Apsara Film and Television Producers Guild Award – Lifetime Achievement Honor (2014)
facts/common sense
- Tanuja is known to be an avid smoker and drinker. She is often seen smoking in public places.
- Tanuja dated an Italian man named Pier Franco Giacardi during her days in Switzerland. He even experienced his first kiss with her.
- During the shooting of Chand Aur Suraj (1965), Tanuja slapped Dharmendra because Dharmendra tried to flirt with her.
- Tanuja didn’t like how her voice sounded when she first saw the shooting of her first film.
- Tanuja wanted to go into diplomatic studies.
- Due to financial crisis in the family, Tanuja came back from Switzerland after five years.
- When Tanuja was on the sets, she indulged in ‘breaking the rules’.
- Tanuja was a very strict parent and she regularly used to beat Kajol.
- Tanuja does not watch her or anyone else’s film except Kajol.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn