Geeta Bali

Geeta Bali (born Harkirtan Kaur; 1930 ‒ 21 January 1965) was an Indian actress who worked in Hindi films. Bali is regarded among the finest actresses in the history of Indian cinema,[3] Bali acted in over 75 films in a career spanning over two decades. She has received two Filmfare Awards nomination.[4]

Geeta Bali
Bali in the 1953 film Naya Ghar
Born
Harikirtan Kaur

1930[1]
Amritsar, Punjab Province, British India (present-day Punjab, India)[2]
Died (aged 34 or 35)[3]
Bombay, Maharashtra, India
Years active1950–1964
Spouse
​
(m. 1955)​
Children2, including Aditya Raj Kapoor
FamilyKapoor family (by marriage)

Bali started her career as a child artist with The Cobbler (1942) and had her first success with Sohag Raat (1948). After working in Badi Bahen (1949), Bali went onto establish herself as a leading lady of the 50s with films such as Bawre Nain (1950), Albela (1951), Baazi (1951), Jaal (1952), Anand Math (1952), Vachan (1955), Milap (1955), Faraar (1955), Jailor (1958) and Mr. India (1961). For Vachan, she received Filmfare Award for Best Actress nomination.

Bali married actor Shammi Kapoor in 1955, with whom she has two children including actor Aditya Raj Kapoor. Bali died in 1965 due to small pox.[5]

Early life

Geeta Bali was born as Harikirtan Kaur in Amritsar in the Punjab Province of British India in 1930.[1][2] She had an elder sister Haridarshan Kaur, whose daughter is actress Yogeeta Bali.[6] Bali was trained in classical dance, horse riding and Gatka.[7]

Career
Portrait of Geeta Bali from Bari Behen (1949)

Baali started her film career as a child actress, at the age of 12, with the film The Cobbler (1942). She made her debut as a lead actress in Badnaami (1946). Bali went onto act in over 75 films.[8] Sohag Raat (1948) and Badi Bahen (1949) were her early success.[9][10][11]

Bali became a star in the 1950s. She worked with her future brother-in-law Raj Kapoor in Bawre Nain (1950)[12] and with her future father-in-law Prithviraj Kapoor in Anand Math, both of which were successful.[13] Unlike other actresses who gave up films after marrying into the Kapoor family, Bali kept acting until her death. Bali helped Surinder Kapoor become a producer.[14][15]

Bali was widely known for her comic timing and her range as an actor.[16] Bali had her best onscreen pairing with Dev Anand, with whom she worked in several successful films including Baazi (1951), Jaal (1952), Ferry (1954), Milap (1955), Faraar and Pocket Maar (1956).[17][18][19] She received Filmfare Award for Best Actress nomination for Vachan (1955).[20]

Bali worked with her husband Shammi Kapoor in films such as Miss Coca Cola (1955), Rangeen Raaten (1956), in which she sang a song and Coffee House (1957).[21] Her other notable films were Dulari (1949), Nishana (1950), Albela (1951), Albeli (1955), Kavi (1955).[22] Her last film was Jab Se Tumhe Dekha Hai in 1963.[1]

Personal life and death

Bali met actor Shammi Kapoor in 1955, during the film Miss Coca Cola. They fell in love while shooting of the film Rangeen Raaten, where he was the leading actor and she played a cameo. Four months later, the couple got married at Banganga Temple, near Malabar Hill of Mumbai.[23] They had a son, Aditya Raj Kapoor, on 1 July 1956, at Shirodkar's Hospital, Mumbai, a year after they were married. Five years later, in 1961, they had a daughter, Kanchan Kapoor.[24][25]

Bali died on 21 January 1965, at the age of 35, due to illness from smallpox.[3][26] Post her death, Kapoor married Neila Devi, from Bhojapara, Gujarat, on 27 January 1969, who also took care of Bali's children.[27][28]

Reception and legacy

"I consider her one of our great artistes. There was nobody who performed like her. She was very versatile. When she entered the industry, everybody had written her off. I believed in her and made her a star."[29]

—Director Kidar Sharma on Geeta Bali

Bali is regarded as one of the greatest actors of Indian cinema.[4] In 2022, she was placed in Outlook India's "75 Best Bollywood Actresses" list.[30] One of the leading actress of the 50s, Bali has appeared in Box Office India's "Top Actresses" list in 1951, 1952 and 1953.[31] Bali was the first woman in tha Kapoor family who did not gave up acting after marriage.[32]

Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com noted, "Geeta Bali’s terrific comic timing and natural manners made her stand out in a crowd of stilted, self-aware beauties. Yet, she was equally adept at moving the viewer in vulnerable, wounded parts."[33] Megha Mathur of The Quint termed her one of the "most interesting actresses" of her time. Her son Aditya Raj Kapoor said, "If you see the way Shammi Kapoor danced, that was Geeta Bali’s personality."[7] Pia Krishnankutty of The Print said that Bali had a "captivating on-screen presence" and wrote, "Given how she acted in a range of genres, whether tragedy, drama or comedy, Bali never fell into the trap of a typecast."[34]

Subhash K. Jha of Firstpost termed her "ebullient" and said, "Geeta Bali was the original Sridevi…perky, bubbly and effervescent."[35] Dinesh Raheja noted, "Geeta Bali's reputation as an actress rests more on her performances than her roles. Natural, spontaneous and gifted with a spot-on sense of comic timing."[36] Journalist Rauf Ahmed added Bali on his "Biggest stars in Hindi filmdom" list and noted, "Bali was the first natural. The earliest tomboy among the actresses. Earthy, effervescent and uninhibited, she shed coyness and simpering so characteristic of the early Hindi film heroine."[37] In the 2016 film Ekk Albela, Bali was portrayed by actress Vidya Balan.[38]

Filmography
Main article: Geeta Bali filmography

Accolades
Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
1956 3rd Filmfare Awards Best Actress Vachan Nominated [39]
Best Supporting Actress Kavi Nominated [40]

References
  1. Adrian Room (26 July 2010). Dictionary of Pseudonyms: 13,000 Assumed Names and Their Origins. McFarland. pp. 44–. ISBN 978-0-7864-4373-4. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
  2. Rajadhyaksha, Ashish; Willemen, Paul (1999). Encyclopaedia of Indian cinema. British Film Institute. p. 54. ISBN 9780851706696. (1930-65) Hindi actress, dancer and singer, originally Harikirtan Kaur. Born in Amritsar, Punjab.
  3. Dinesh Raheja. "Geeta Bali: That Amazing Vivaciousness". Rediff.com. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  4. "Top heroines of Bollywood". India Today. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  5. "How Shammi Kapoor married Geeta Bali: She took out lipstick, asked him to apply it on her maang". India Today. 24 January 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  6. Saran, Sathya; Alvi, Abrar (2008). Ten Years with Guru Dutt: Abrar Alvi's Journey. Penguin Books India. pp. 7, 43. ISBN 978-0-670-08221-6.
  7. "Geeta Bali's personality had the energy of Shammi Kapoor's dance". The Quint. 21 January 2016. Archived from the original on 4 January 2012. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  8. Subodh Kapoor (2002). The Indian Encyclopaedia: Gautami Ganga -Himmat Bahadur. Cosmo Publications. pp. 2575–. ISBN 978-81-7755-266-9. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
  9. "Top Earners 1946". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 14 June 2010. Retrieved 10 July 2008.
  10. "Our Review-"Geeta Bali's Sohag Raat"". Filmindia. 14 (8): 51. August 1948. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  11. NFAI adds Suraiya's 1949 film Bari Behen to collection 26 February 2017 Times of India, Retrieved 23 May 2020
  12. Ritu Nanda (2002). "Filmography-Raj Kapoor". Raj Kapoor: Speaks. Penguin Books India. pp. 198–. ISBN 978-0-670-04952-3.
  13. "Anand Math's song Vande Mataram - The World's Top Ten". BBC World Service. Retrieved 15 November 2008.
  14. "Sonam Kapoor is a better actor than Anil Kapoor". Rediff.com. 4 May 2009. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  15. Pandya, Sonal (21 January 2017). "10 things you didn't know about Geeta Bali". Cinestaan. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  16. Lokapally, Vijay (9 December 2011). "Milap (1955)". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 20 June 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  17. Kohli, Suresh (14 June 2012). "Blast from the past: Faraar (1955)". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 20 June 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  18. Bhatia, Uday (7 September 2019). "Who killed the Hindi gangster film?". mint. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  19. "Dev Anand saga: When Navketan went noir". The Times of India. 10 December 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  20. Kaur, Devinder Bir (16 July 1999). "Melodrama was his forte". The Tribune. Retrieved 25 September 2009.
  21. Deepa Gahlot (1 January 2008). Shammi Kapoor: The Dancing Hero. SCB Distributors. pp. 82–. ISBN 978-81-8328-228-4. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  22. "Top Earners 1951". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 21 January 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
  23. "Blast from the past: Shammi Kapoor and Geeta Bali's sudden marriage". Filmfare. 24 April 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  24. Parande, Shweta (4 May 2010). "Acting is in my genes: Aditya Raj Kapoor". CNN-IBN. Archived from the original on 7 May 2010. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  25. Ramesh Dawar (1 January 2006). Bollywood Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow. Star Publications. pp. 1–. ISBN 978-1-905863-01-3. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
  26. Jain, Madhu (2005). The Kapoors: the first family of Indian cinema. Penguin, Viking. ISBN 0670058378.
  27. "Neila Devi: I knew I'd always get second billing". Filmfare. 25 September 2012. Archived from the original on 16 December 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  28. "Shammi Kapoor". Junglee.org.in. Archived from the original on 19 August 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  29. "Kidar Sharma Interview". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  30. "75 Bollywood Actresses Who Ruled The Silver Screen With Grace, Beauty And Talent". Outlook India. Archived from the original on 16 August 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  31. "Top Actresses". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 4 January 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  32. "Bollywood Dynasties". NDTV India. Archived from the original on 4 January 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  33. "Remembering Geeta Bali: Hindi cinema's Little Ms Sunshine". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 4 January 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  34. "Talented dancer with screen presence — Geeta Bali went from penury to cinematic pinnacle". The Print. Archived from the original on 4 January 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  35. "My mother contributed in the making of Shammi Kapoor: Aditya Raj Kapoor remembers Geeta Bali". Firstpost. 21 January 2022. Archived from the original on 4 January 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  36. "Unknown facts about actress Geeta Bali on her Death anniversary". News18 Hindi. 21 January 2021. Archived from the original on 4 January 2012. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  37. "The editor on the biggest stars in Hindi filmdom". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  38. "Watch: Vidya Balan stuns as Geeta Bali in her Marathi debut Ekk Albela". Hindustan Times. 28 May 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  39. "Check out all the Filmfare Awards Winners from 1953 to 2023". Filmfare. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  40. "Top Earners 1955". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 30 January 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2008.
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