Happy Birthday Bindu: The woman behind the glamorous Vamp

Today, we celebrate the birthday of a woman who redefined the concept of the Bollywood vamp – the ever-stylish, enigmatic Bindu! Born on April 17th, 1941, Bindu's career spanned four decades, captivating audiences with her captivating screen presence and unforgettable performances.

Bindu's Reflections: Balancing Characters and Self-Image

How does an actress know what she looks like? She has only the mirror to tell And every time she looks different by the character she is playing on film. Surprisingly till today Bindu has been able to catch just fleeting glimpses of Mrs. Champaklal Jhaveri, the dominant image is of the voluptuous Bindu—the screen‘s hottest vamp.

The real Bindu in her private life is converse to the seductive bombshell of reel life. She is quite conventional, very friendly, and at times even shy. And thus the metamorphosis from one personality to another is all the more admirable. But then it’s the shy people who are strong swimmers once they've taken the plunge.

Bindu’s wardrobe in chock-full with all kinds of clothes except the revealing kind. Eight times out of ten you’ll meet Bindu looking gorgeously content in a beautiful saree and the remaining two times, if you are close enough, you may catch her lounging around in a salwar khameez or a lungi kurta. In fact, on such occasions it becomes difficult to connect Bindu the woman with Bindu the vamp—the former so natural and the latter exaggeratedly unnatural.

“But doesn’t your screen image affect your personal life ?”

  “Not to a great extent. But sometimes I do come across people passing funny remarks at us. I can’t do anything of course, after all, it's these very people who are our fans. At times they love us and at times they abuse us. And though most of them realize that what we portray on screen is make-believe at times they get carried away.”

  “Don’t rumors of your professional link-ups affect your personal relationships?”

  “You have to accept these things: It's part of the price you pay for being Popular public figures. Everyone loves to gossip about us, point fingers at us, and hear all kinds of stupid rumors about us. Luckily my family members are very broad-minded. In fact, most of them become as friendly with my costars as I am. Ranjeet, Amjad, Prem are all nice friendly guys. Gossip linking me with them can never affect my relationships with them. In fact, it calls for a lot of teasing and ribbing when we are together. And consequently, we become friendlier and more at ease with each other.

“Has being in this line changed her in’ anyway ?”

"Change toh har insaan mein aate hai. But whether it was for the better or not you can never tell. Showbiz is a very artificial world full of glitter and glamour. I| have learned to live on the Surface, never to let my real feelings show, and to smile constantly even when I am not feeling like it. People here are not what they seem, so why the heck should I be the only real person going.”

“Does that mean you are forever curbing your true impulsive self ?”

“Fortunately for me, I was never an impulsive person. I have been quite a calculative person who can never take people at their face value. And with maturity and experience. I have become even more adept at dealing with people and situations. You have to take everything here with a sackful of salt and avoid being too good. Being sensitive never helps.”

“Is there anything about yourself  that you'd like to change ?”

“Bindu the woman is a very organized and disciplined person. I am not at all moody and I rarely ever lose my cool. 1 am an extremely patient person and I hate fussing. But these plus qualities haven't really helped me in my career. To tell you the truth, they have on the other” hand proved to be minus points. Discipline and patience don’t prove anything in the. industry—instead people tend to take you for granted. Here it's expected  of a star to throw tantrums, to have nakhras, and to be full of hang-ups.”

 “Doesn’t your husband hate being”  known as Bindu’s husband, it must, be hurting his pride. ”

 “My husband is a self-respecting man and he is a terrible egoist too. He dislikes being called Bindu’s husband. It hurts his pride. And I Suppose you can’t blame him any man in his right senses would like to assert his individuality and  identity and be known for himself rather than his wife's husband.”

“Does he resent your being a star, then ?”

“Not at all. He has his ego but he’s not a narrow minded petty man. He is a very understanding loving man otherwise things would have been very difficult for me.”

So while Bindu the vamp sizzles her why around with a smile on her lips beneath all that grease paint is a woman. who has kept all her raw nerves unexposed everywhere—for in this line people manage to wound, even inadvertantly, And she can’t afford that; she’s too happy, too satisfied for any misery !

Today, Bindu remains a beloved figure in Indian cinema. Though retired from acting, her legacy lives on. Her iconic performances continue to inspire aspiring actors, and her timeless beauty and captivating screen presence remain unforgettable.
Here's to Bindu, the undisputed queen of Bollywood's vamps! We wish her a very happy birthday filled with love and light.