Despite being born in an orthodox Tamil Brahmin Iyengar family in Chennai, Vyjayanthimala made a name in the Hindi film industry with her strong, convincing performances. She dominated the 50s and 60s and rivalled the dominance of ace actors like Meena Kumari, Madhubala, Nargis, Suchitra Sen, Waheeda Rehman, and more.
Early struggles
Vyjayanthimala made her film debut at the age of 16. She first appeared in the Tamil film Vaazhkai in 1949. Her journey to stardom wasn’t without challenges, and she faced body shaming in the film industry. Once, her Hindi film Nagin’s director Nandlal Jaswantlal brought her to tears by calling her an idli. She recounted the instance in her memoir, titled Bonding.
Vyjayanthimala initially found fame for her dance skills. (Photo: Bonding Memoir)
She wrote, “You are too plump and still have a lot of baby fat. You have such a round face, that it fills the whole screen. Don’t look like an idli.” The filmmaker would often tease her in front of the entire crew, leaving her with “tears shimmering in my eyes, all set to roll down.”
Breaking the ‘dancing doll’ image with Devdas
Although her diverse roles in Ganga Jamuna, Amrapali, and Sangam earned her acclaim, Vyjayanthimala was often reduced to being a “dancing doll,” something that she herself had admitted. However, this perception changed with her performance alongside Dilip Kumar in the legendary Devdas (1955). She recalled, “Till Devdas happened, the critics kept harping that I was a dancer, not an actress. But after its release, I received terrific reviews. It worked wonders for me. Critical acclaim elicited worthwhile offers. I earned my reputation and got accepted in the mainstream.”
Films with Dilip Kumar and relationship rumours
Dilip Kumar and Vyjayanthimala in Devdas. (Photo: IMDb)
After Devdas, Vyjayanthimala starred with Dilip Kumar in several films including Naya Daur (1957), Madhumati (1958), Paigham (1959), Gunga Jumna (1961), Leader (1964), and Sunghursh (1968). Their on-screen chemistry sparked rumours of an off-screen romance, but both denied it. However, their professional relationship hit a rough patch when she was replaced in Dilip’s Ram Aur Shyam by Waheeda Rehman. According to Vyjayanthimala, this happened because of Dilip’s ego clash with Raj Kapoor as the dates for Kapoor’s Sangam and Dilip’s Leader clashed.
She wrote, “The dates for Leader clashed with Sangam. Both wanted massive dates… It was a professional rivalry. I was caught in the crossfire.” Dilip Kumar’s move hurt, and the two didn’t talk to each other for years. Their differences were eventually resolved by none other than Dilip Kumar’s wife, actor Saira Banu, who urged them to leave the past behind.
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The Raj Kapoor chapter
Vyjayanthimala’s career was tightly managed by her grandmother Yadugiri Devi, who considered Raj Kapoor a womaniser. But this didn’t stop rumours of their romance from making headlines. Vyjayanthimala, however, denied the affair in her book, calling it a publicity stunt by Kapoor and accusing him of “manufacturing the romance because of his hunger for publicity.”
Rishi Kapoor, in his autobiography Khullam Khulla: Rishi Kapoor Uncensored, contested Vyjayanthimala’s claim. He wrote about how his mother, Krishna Kapoor, moved out with him during the time Raj Kapoor was allegedly involved with Vyjayanthimala.
Raj Kapoor and Vyjayanthimala in film Sangam. Express archive photo
“I remember moving into the Natraj Hotel on Marine Drive with my mom during the time papa was involved with Vyjayanthimala. From the hotel, we shifted for two months into an apartment in Chitrakoot. My father had bought the apartment for mom and us. He did all he could to woo her back, but my mother wouldn’t give in until he had ended that chapter of his life,” he wrote in the book. Raj Kapoor and Vyjayanthimala starred together in just two films — Nazrana (1961) and Sangam (1964).
Leaving films at her peak
In 1968, Vyjayanthimala surprised everyone by marrying Kapoor’s family doctor, Dr Chamanlal Bali, at the peak of her career. She then quit films to focus on her personal life, though she continued performing in live shows to keep her passion for dance alive. In her book, she wrote, “I made the wisest decision of my life, I left the films at the right time. I have no regrets because I worked with some of the best.”
