Simi Garewal
| Simi Garewal | |
|---|---|
| File:SimiGarewal.jpg
Garewal in Jan 2012
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| Born | Simrita Garewal 17 October 1947 Ludhiana, Punjab, India |
| Occupation | Film actor, Producer, director, Chat show Hostess |
| Years active | 1962 – present |
| Spouse(s) | Ravi Mohan (divorced) |
| Relatives | Pamela Chopra (Aunt) Yash Chopra (Uncle) Aditya Chopra (Cousin) Uday Chopra (Cousin) |
| Website | Personal website |
Simi Garewal (born 17 October 1947) is an Indian actress and a talk show hostess. She is known for her work in the films Do Badan, Saathi, Mera Naam Joker, Siddhartha and Karz. She is also known for her celebrity talk show, Rendezvous with Simi Garewal.
Contents
Early life
Simi Garewal was born in Ludhiana, Punjab, India, in a Jatt Sikh family.[1][2] Her father, J S Garewal served in the Indian Army rising to the rank of brigadier. Simi grew up in England and studied at Newland House School with her sister Amrita.[3]
Film and television career
After spending much of her childhood in England, Garewal returned to India while a teenager. Her felicity with the English language induced the makers of the English-language film Tarzan Goes to India to offer her a role. A gangly 15-year-old, Garewal made her debut alongside Feroz Khan in this film in 1962.[4] Her performance was good enough for her to fetch many more film offers. During the 1960s and '70s, she was in several notable Indian films, working with leading directors such as Mehboob Khan's Son of India, Raj Kapoor in Mera Naam Joker (1970), Satyajit Ray in Aranyer Din Ratri (Days and Nights in the Forest), Mrinal Sen in Padatik (The Guerilla Fighter) and Raj Khosla in Do Badan. She starred opposite Shashi Kapoor in Columbia Pictures' Siddhartha, an English-language movie based on the novel by Hermann Hesse. Garewal did a nude scene in this film which caused some controversy in India.[5] Later, in the mid-1970s, she made an appearance in the popular film Kabhi Kabhie (1976), made by her uncle Yash Chopra, and had a starring role in Chalte Chalte (1976).[6] Another notable role she played was as a vamp in Karz (1980). She starred in the BBC docu-drama Maharajas (1987), based on the book by Charles Allen.
In the early 1980s, her attention turned to writing and direction. She formed her own production company, Siga Arts International. She hosted, produced and directed a TV series for Doordarshan called It's a Woman's World (1983). She also made a documentary for Channel 4 in the UK called Living Legend Raj Kapoor (1984). This was followed by a three-part documentary on Rajiv Gandhi titled India's Rajiv. She wrote and directed a Hindi feature film Rukhsat and produced television commercials, for which she won the first prize from the 1988 Paters Award in Australia.
Garewal anchored the talk show Rendezvous with Simi Garewal.[7]
She usually wears her signature white clothes on TV shows and at award ceremonies, and is popularly known as "The Lady in White".[8] Garewal recently appeared on Say Shava Shava 2008 as a host and judge.[9] After the Mumbai terrorist attacks of November 2008, Simi Garewal caused a storm of criticism in India and abroad by publicly calling for the Indian government to "carpet-bomb" the terrorist camps of its neighbour, Pakistan.
She returned to television with her new talk show India's Most Desirable on Star Plus which would interview Bollywood actors, business and media icons, and Indian cricketers about their "ideal and desirable beaus".[10]
Simi Garewal has her own website which she uses to interact with her fans: www.simigarewal.com. The site has her voice reading the text.
Personal life
Garewal had her first serious relationship at the age of 17, with then Maharaja of Jamnagar, who was also her neighbor in England.[11] In the early 1980s, Garewal dated Salman Taseer, a Pakistani businessman.[12]
Garewal was married to Ravi Mohan of Chunnamal family from old Delhi but her marriage was short and she is now divorced.[13]
Popularity
Simi Garewal is a popular TV host and has acted in few Bollywood movies. In 1972, for her nude scene in Siddhartha with actor Shashi Kapoor, the movie couldn't be released in India due to censorship and created controversy.[14][15]
Filmography
As an actress
| Year | Film | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Raaz Ki Baat | Kamal | ||
| 1962 | Son of India | Lalita | ||
| 1962 | Tarzan Goes to India | Princess Kamara | ||
| 1965 | Teen Devian | Simi/Radha Rani | ||
| 1965 | Johar-Mehmood in Goa | Simmi | ||
| 1966 | Do Badan | Dr. Anjali | Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award | |
| 1968 | Aadmi | Aarti | ||
| 1968 | Saathi | Rajini | Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award | |
| 1968 | Ek Raat | Rekha B Sharma | ||
| 1970 | Mera Naam Joker | Mary | ||
| 1970 | Aranyer Din Ratri | Duli | Bengali film | |
| 1971 | Andaz | Mona | ||
| 1971 | Do Boond Pani | Gauri | ||
| 1971 | Seema | |||
| 1972 | Anokhi Pehchan | |||
| 1972 | Siddhartha | Kamala | ||
| 1973 | Padatik | Woman who shelters activist | ||
| 1973 | Namak Haraam | Manisha | ||
| 1974 | Haath Ki Safai | Roma S Kumar | ||
| 1976 | Naach Uthe Sansaar | Somu | ||
| 1976 | Chalte Chalte | Geeta | ||
| 1976 | Kabhi Kabhie | Shobha Kapoor | ||
| 1977 | Abhi To Jee Lein | Miss Mahajan | ||
| 1979 | Ahsaas | Asha Choudhry | ||
| 1980 | The Burning Train | School Teacher | ||
| 1980 | Karz | Kamini Verma | Nominated - Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award | |
| 1980 | Insaf Ka Tarazu | Lawyer | ||
| 1981 | Naseeb | Herself | Cameo Appearance | |
| 1981 | Professor Pyarelal | Rita | ||
| 1981 | Biwi O Biwi | Nisha | ||
| 1982 | Teri Meri Kahani | Meena Sastry/Seema | ||
| 1982 | Hathkadi | Pammi Mittal | ||
| 1986 | Love and God | Ghazala | ||
| 1988 | Rukhsat | Radha Talwar | Also Director |
Television
| Year | Show name | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Living Legend Raj Kapoor | Writer/Director | Documentary on Raj Kapoor for Channel Four Television, UK |
| 1991 | India's Rajiv | Writer/Director | Three part documentary series on Rajiv Gandhi |
| 1997 | Rendezvous with Simi Garewal | Host |
Awards and nominations
- 1966–Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award – Do Badan
- 1968–Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award – Saathi
- 1980–Filmfare Nomination as Best Supporting Actress for her role in Karz
- 1999–Screen Awards for Best Talk Show & Best Anchor
- 2001–RAPA Award for Best Anchor & Talk show
- 2003–Indian Television Academy Award for Best Anchor
- 2003–Rotary Award for Vocational Excellence in Media & Television
- 2004–Indian Filmgoers Association Award Best Talk Show
References
- ↑ http://www.ndtv.com/photos/entertainment/happy-birthday-simi-grewal-8404
- ↑ http://www.filmibeat.com/celebs/simi-garewal/biography.html
- ↑ Rendezvous with Simi Garewal – The Times of India. Timesofindia.indiatimes.com (1 February 2004). Retrieved on 26 June 2011.
- ↑ [1] Archived 30 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Siddhartha (1972). PopMatters. Retrieved on 26 June 2011.
- ↑ Gloriously grey. Screenindia.com (17 October 2008). Retrieved on 26 June 2011.
- ↑ Simi Garewal's Rendezvous 100 Party. Sify.com (14 June 2004). Retrieved on 26 June 2011.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Screen > The Business of Entertainment. Screenindia.com (4 January 2008). Retrieved on 26 June 2011.
- ↑ http://ibnlive.in.com/news/simi-brings-indias-most-desirable-on-tv/158329-44.html Simi brings India's Most Desirable
- ↑ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/tv/news/Im-a-sucker-for-looks-Simi-Garewal/articleshow/10713069.cms
- ↑ A Lahore Boy In Delhi. Outlookindia.com. Retrieved on 26 June 2011.
- ↑ Simi Garewal: the icon of style. Rediff.com. Retrieved on 26 June 2011.
- ↑ 'I Don't Know One Editor In India Who Is Well-Read'. www.outlookindia.com. Retrieved on 26 June 2011.
- ↑ Movies: Siddhartha, a lost tale. rediff.com (21 September 2002). Retrieved on 26 June 2011.
- Kesavan, Mukul. "The Mumbai tragedy and the English language news media", The Telegraph, 4 December 2008.
