Simi Garewal

Simi Garewal

Garewal in Jan 2012
Born Simrita Garewal
Template:Birth date and age df=yes
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.

Early life

Simi Garewal was born in Ludhiana, Punjab, India, in a Jat Sikh family.[1][2] Her father, J. S. Garewal served in the Indian Army rising to the rank of brigadier. Simi is a cousin of Pamela Chopra, wife of film-maker Yash Chopra. Simi's mother Darshi and Pamela's father Mohinder Singh were siblings.[3] Simi grew up in England and studied at Newland House School with her sister Amrita.[4]

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.[5] 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.[6] 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).[7] 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.[8]

She usually wears her signature white clothes on TV shows and at award ceremonies, and is popularly known as "The Lady in White".[9] Garewal recently appeared on Say Shava Shava 2008 as a host and judge.[10] 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".[11]

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.[12] In the early 1980s, Garewal dated Salman Taseer, a Pakistani businessman.[13]

Garewal was married to Ravi Mohan of Chunnamal family from old Delhi but her marriage was short and she is now divorced.[14]

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.[15][16]

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

References

  1. ↑ http://www.ndtv.com/photos/entertainment/happy-birthday-simi-grewal-8404
  2. ↑ http://www.filmibeat.com/celebs/simi-garewal/biography.html
  3. ↑ Pamela and Simi
  4. ↑ Rendezvous with Simi Garewal – The Times of India. Timesofindia.indiatimes.com (1 February 2004). Retrieved on 26 June 2011.
  5. ↑ Archived 30 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
  6. ↑ Siddhartha (1972). PopMatters. Retrieved on 26 June 2011.
  7. ↑ Gloriously grey. Screenindia.com (17 October 2008). Retrieved on 26 June 2011.
  8. ↑ Simi Garewal's Rendezvous 100 Party. Sify.com (14 June 2004). Retrieved on 26 June 2011.
  9. ↑ "Lady in white".
  10. ↑ Screen > The Business of Entertainment. Screenindia.com (4 January 2008). Retrieved on 26 June 2011.
  11. ↑ http://ibnlive.in.com/news/simi-brings-indias-most-desirable-on-tv/158329-44.html Simi brings India's Most Desirable
  12. ↑ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/tv/news/Im-a-sucker-for-looks-Simi-Garewal/articleshow/10713069.cms
  13. ↑ A Lahore Boy In Delhi. Outlookindia.com. Retrieved on 26 June 2011.
  14. ↑ Simi Garewal: the icon of style. Rediff.com. Retrieved on 26 June 2011.
  15. ↑ 'I Don't Know One Editor In India Who Is Well-Read'. www.outlookindia.com. Retrieved on 26 June 2011.
  16. ↑ Movies: Siddhartha, a lost tale. rediff.com (21 September 2002). Retrieved on 26 June 2011.

External links

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