Padmini Kolhapure


Padmini Kolhapure is an Indian actress and singer, who works primarily in Hindi films. She began acting in 1972 at the age of 7, and her early works included Zindagi and Dream Girl. She then made her official film debut with the film Satyam Shivam Sundaram, starring as Young Roopa. Kolhapure then became one of the most prominent actresses throughout the 1980s.
At the age of fifteen, Kolhapure won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the revenge drama Insaf Ka Tarazu, and at the age of seventeen, won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for the tragic romance Prem Rog, thus becoming the second-youngest actress to win the awards in the respective categories. She was also nominated for the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for her role in Souten and also received another nomination for a Filmfare Best Actress Award for Pyar Jhukta Nahin.

Early life

Padmini Kolhapure was born second among the three daughters of Pandharinath Kolhapure, a professional musician, by his wife Nirupama Kolhapure. Her elder sister is the former actress Shivangi Kapoor, wife of actor Shakti Kapoor and mother of actress Shraddha Kapoor and actor Siddhanth Kapoor. Her younger sister, Tejaswini Kolhapure, too is an actress.
The family took the surname "Kolhapure" because they hailed from Kolhapur in Maharashtra. Padmini's mother, Nirupama Kolhapure, was born into a Konkani-speaking Konkani Brahmin family belonging to Mangalore in Karnataka. Padmini's father, Pandharinath Kolhapure, was a talented vocalist and Veena player. He was the son of Pandit Krishnarao Kolhapure, an exponent of Natya Sangeet, who had enjoyed the patronage of the Baroda Durbar. Pandharinath's mother was the half-sister of Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar, and sister of Balwantrao Abhisheki, the father of vocalist Jitendra Abhisheki. Thus, Padmini is niece of legendary singers Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhonsle. Her mother formerly used to work as ground staff with Air India.
While working for the film Aisa Pyar Kahan, Padmini met Pradeep Sharma, alias Tutu Sharma, who was the producer of the film. They were married after a brief courtship in 1986. They have a son named Priyank Sharma.

Career

As a child, she sang in the chorus for songs in films such as Yaadon Ki Baaraat, Kitab and Dushman Dost with her sister Shivangi. Padmini later sang for her own films such as Vidhaata, Daana Pani, Professor Ki Padosan Hum Intezaar Karenge and Sadak Chaap. She released an album with Bappi Lahiri titled Music Lovers. She performed for the Greater London Council at the Royal Albert Hall in London with Bappi Lahiri and his troupe in 1986.
Asha Bhosle suggested Padmini's name to Dev Anand, who then cast her in Ishq Ishq Ishq. This led to other films, such as Dreamgirl, Zindagi, and Saajan Bina Suhagan. She also gave a very commendable performance of a school girl inflicted by black magic in Gehrayee.
Her mother quit her airlines job to be a full-time chaperone as Padmini picked up more roles. Her most famous child role was playing a child in Raj Kapoor's 1977 film Satyam Shivam Sundaram. Her success led to her most controversial role in Insaaf Ka Tarazu, a remake of Lipstick, where she played the rape victim that was originally played by Mariel Hemingway. She earned the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for her performance. She graduated to heroine roles at the age of 15 in Nasir Hussain's Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai opposite Rishi Kapoor. The film flopped, but she reunited with Rishi for his father Raj Kapoor's film Prem Rog in 1982. The film earned her a Filmfare Best Actress Award. She earned a special acting award for Ahista Ahista.
Padmini was known for her professionalism and diligence. She even worked when she had fever on Do Dilon Ki Dastaan. She had more box office hits, such as Vidhaata and Souten. She had a huge hit with Pyar Jhukta Nahin with Mithun Chakraborty, and they were paired together in several more films. She agreed to work with Anil Kapoor when he was a newcomer in his first film Woh Saat Din. The movie was a hit and helped cement his name in the Indian film industry; Anil Kapoor attributes his eventual success in the film industry to her "luck".
After her son grew up, she returned to acting in 2004, such as for the Marathi films Manthan and Chimnee Pakhar, which was a huge hit and earned her a Screen Award in the Best Marathi Actress category. She appeared in the 2006 horror film Eight Shani.
She appeared in Mera Bachpan with Helen in 2008. She has also acted on stage in Kaash, followed by Abhi To Mein Jawan Hoon and Aasman Se Gire Khajoor Pe Atke, with her brother-in-law Shakti Kapoor.
In 2011, she made her foray into Malayalam cinema with V. K. Prakash's Karmayogi, an adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet. In 2013, she played Shahid Kapoor's mother in the comedy film Phata Poster Nikla Hero.
She was considered to play the role of Tulsi Virani in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi after Smriti Irani left the project, but the role was ultimately played by Gautami Kapoor.

Selected filmography

Denotes films that have not yet been released

YearFilmRoleNotes
1974Ek Khiladi Bawan PatteChild artist
1975Ishq Ishq IshqChild artist
1976ZindagiGuddu N. ShuklaChild artist
1977Dream GirlPadminiChild artist
1978Saajan Bina SuhaganBulbul ChopraChild artist
1978Satyam Shivam SundaramYoung RupaChild artist
1978Hamara SansarAsha
1980Thodisi BewafaiiMeenu
1980GehrayeeUma
1980Insaaf Ka TarazuNeeta
1981Dushman Dost
1981Ahista AhistaChandra
1981Zamaane Ko Dikhana HaiKanchan
1982Prem RogManorama
1982VidhaataDurga
1982StarDev's Fan
1982Khush Naseeb
1982Teri Maang Sitaron Se Bhar Doon
1982Swami DadaChamkili
1983LoversMary
1983MazdoorMeena D. Saxena / Meena A. Mathur
1983SoutenRadha
1983Woh Saat DinMaya
1983BekaraarSundari Gupta
1984Yeh Ishq Nahin AasaanSalma Mirza
1984Naya KadamChanda
1984Ek Nai PaheliKajri
1984Sheeshay Ka Ghar
1984Hum Hain LajawabDilruba
1985Pyaar Jhukta NahinPreeti B. Pratap / Preeti A. Khanna
1985Aaj Ka DaurDurga Agnihotri
1985Rahi Badal GayeSangeeta
1985Pyari BehnaMangla
1985Insaaf Main KaroongaPinky
1985BewafaiRenu
1985Patthar DilBindiya
1985WafadaarSita
1985Do Dilon Ki Dastaan
1986AnubhavGauri
1986Swarag Se SunderLalita Choudhury
1986Aisa Pyaar KahanPooja
1986MuddatKalpana
1986KirayadarJaya Abhyankar
1986Pyar Kiya Hai Pyar KarengeUsha
1986PreetiPreeti
1986SuhaaganJyoti
1986'Vidya/Dharti
1987JhanjhaarPushpa
1987Pyar Ke KabilSangeeta A. Kapoor
1987DadagiriBarkha Singh
1987Sadak ChhapAnju
1987HawalaatGeeta
1989Hum Intezaar KarengeManisha V. Anand
1988Sagar SangamRadha
1989Dana PaaniChanda
1989TouheanSansani / Sandhya
1989DaataSona Dwarka Prasad
1990Aag Ka Dariya
1991Qurbani Rang LayegiBasanti
1994Professor Ki PadosanMenaka Khanna
1999RockfordAs Producer
2003Chimani PakharMarathi film
2005'Anjali DeshpandeMarathi film
2006'Smita S. Singh
2006'Radha S. Rai
2009Bolo RaamArchana Kaushik
2012KarmayogiMankammaMalayalam film
2012MaiMadhu
2013Phata Poster Nikla HeroMrs. Rao
2013Daughter
2013Dhuaan
2015KarbonnGayatri
2015Bachpan Ek Dhokha
2019PanipatGopika Bai
2020PrawaasLata InamdarMarathi Film

Television

Awards and nominations

Other awards