# Shashikala
**Shashikala** was the screen name of **Shashikala Om Prakash Saigal** (née Jawalkar; 4 August 1932 – 4 April 2021), an Indian film and television actress who played supporting roles, largely in [Hindi cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindi-cinema), in more than a hundred films over a career of roughly six decades[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0789374/bio/) • [2](https://www.tuliresearchcentre.org/shashikala/research-centre/all). She was known for negative and character parts, winning the [Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress](https://www.edgepedia.org/filmfare-award-for-best-supporting-actress) twice, for *Aarti* (1962) and *Gumrah* (1963), and receiving the [Padma Shri](https://www.edgepedia.org/padma-shri) in 2007[3](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/entertainment-news/2021/Apr/04/padma-shri-awardee-and-veteran-actor-shashikala-passes-away-at-88-2285722.html).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Shashikala Om Prakash Saigal, née Jawalkar; known professionally by her first name only[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0789374/bio/) |
| Born / died | 4 August 1932, Solapur, Bombay Presidency, British India; 4 April 2021, Mumbai, aged 88[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0789374/bio/) |
| Career span | Appeared in more than a hundred Hindi films from the 1940s to the 2000s, primarily in supporting and negative roles[2](https://www.tuliresearchcentre.org/shashikala/research-centre/all) |
| Signature awards | Filmfare Best Supporting Actress for *Aarti* (1962) and *Gumrah* (1963); eight Filmfare nominations in that category[3](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/entertainment-news/2021/Apr/04/padma-shri-awardee-and-veteran-actor-shashikala-passes-away-at-88-2285722.html) |
| Other honors | Padma Shri, 2007; V. Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award, 2009[4](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/veteran-actor-shashikala-om-prakash-saigal-passes-away-7258394/lite/) |
| Best-known films | *Sujata* (1959), *Aarti* (1962), *Gumrah* (1963), *Anupama* (1966), *Waqt* (1965), *Phool Aur Patthar* (1966), *Khubsoorat* (1980)[5](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/veteran-actress-shashikala-best-known-for-films-like-gumrah-and-aarti-dies-at-88-2406010) |
| Spouse | Om Prakash Saigal, related to the singer Kundan Lal Saigal; two daughters[6](https://upperstall.com/profile/shashikala/?amp=1) |
## Early life
Shashikala was born in Solapur, in what is now [Maharashtra](https://www.edgepedia.org/maharashtra), where her father Anantrao Jawalkar ran a cloth shop[6](https://upperstall.com/profile/shashikala/?amp=1). His business declined, and after heavy losses she moved to Mumbai at the age of 11 with her family; she recalled going from studio to studio with her father, too old for child roles and too young for adult supporting parts[7](https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/how-shashikala-grew-from-being-a-bollywood-star-to-serving-people-7267854/). As a child she had gained local popularity performing as Lord Krishna during Ganesh Utsav in Solapur, and before entering films she worked with a dance drama troupe staging mythological plays across the Solapur district[6](https://upperstall.com/profile/shashikala/?amp=1) • [7](https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/how-shashikala-grew-from-being-a-bollywood-star-to-serving-people-7267854/).
## Break: Zeenat and the 1940s
Her first noticeable screen appearance came in *Zeenat* (1945), in which she appeared in the all-female qawwali number *Aahen Na Bhari, Shikwen Na Kiye* alongside other newcomers including Shyama, after the singer-actor [Noor Jehan](https://www.edgepedia.org/noor-jehan) took her under her wing[7](https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/how-shashikala-grew-from-being-a-bollywood-star-to-serving-people-7267854/). The film's director and Noor Jehan's husband, Shaukat Hussain Rizvi, offered a cash gift to the best performer in the song, which Shashikala won; Upperstall puts it at Rs 25, and a Times of India profile at Rs 24, describing it as a sum that let her family celebrate Diwali for the first time in years[6](https://upperstall.com/profile/shashikala/?amp=1) • [8](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/shashikala-who-shone-in-shades-of-gray-dead/articleshow/81903588.cms). She played [Dilip Kumar](https://www.edgepedia.org/dilip-kumar)'s sister in *Jugnu* (1947), a film that was a breakthrough for both its hero and the playback singer [Mohammed Rafi](https://www.edgepedia.org/mohammed-rafi)[2](https://www.tuliresearchcentre.org/shashikala/research-centre/all) • [6](https://upperstall.com/profile/shashikala/?amp=1).
When Noor Jehan and Rizvi left for Pakistan after partition, her support network disappeared, and she went back to minor parts through the late 1940s and early 1950s[6](https://upperstall.com/profile/shashikala/?amp=1) • [9](https://www.rediff.com/movies/report/shashikala-hindi-cinemas-favourite-badwoman-passes-into-the-ages/20210405.htm). A firmer foothold came with [V. Shantaram](https://www.edgepedia.org/v-shantaram)'s *Teen Batti Char Raasta* (1953) and *Surang* (1953)[8](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/shashikala-who-shone-in-shades-of-gray-dead/articleshow/81903588.cms).
## The vamp era and awards
The turning point was her role as the scheming sister-in-law to [Meena Kumari](https://www.edgepedia.org/meena-kumari) in *Aarti* (1962), a Rajshri Pictures production that was a major success; the performance established her as a popular "vamp" of Hindi cinema[7](https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/how-shashikala-grew-from-being-a-bollywood-star-to-serving-people-7267854/). She won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for *Aarti* and repeated the feat with *Gumrah* (1963)[3](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/entertainment-news/2021/Apr/04/padma-shri-awardee-and-veteran-actor-shashikala-passes-away-at-88-2285722.html). Over her career she received eight Filmfare nominations for Best Supporting Actress, with cited nominations including *Sujata*, *Ayee Milan Ki Bela*, *Himalay Ki God Mein*, *Anupama*, *Neel Kamal*, and *Phool Aur Patthar*[8](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/shashikala-who-shone-in-shades-of-gray-dead/articleshow/81903588.cms).
The Bengal Film Journalists' Association gave her its Best Supporting Actress (Hindi) award for *Aarti* in 1963, *Gumrah* in 1964, and *Rahgir* (1969) in 1970[10](https://kekanaan.wordpress.com/2021/04/05/shashikala-1932-2021/). Her negative roles in films such as *Nau Do Gyarah* (1957), *12 O'Clock* (1958), *Apne Hue Paraye* (1964), and *Neel Kamal* (1968) led one film-history site to call her perhaps the greatest vamp Hindi cinema has seen; she also took positive roles, from the bubbly Rama in [Bimal Roy](https://www.edgepedia.org/bimal-roy)'s *[Sujata](https://www.edgepedia.org/sujata-1959-film)* (1959) to the vivacious Annie in *Anupama* (1966), and played heroine in earlier films like *Abe-Hayat* (1955)[6](https://upperstall.com/profile/shashikala/?amp=1) • [7](https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/how-shashikala-grew-from-being-a-bollywood-star-to-serving-people-7267854/).
## Later career and television
Through the 1970s and 1980s she shifted from vamp roles to sister and then mother and matriarch parts, appearing in films such as *Chhote Sarkar* (1974), *Souten* (1983), and *Khubsoorat* (1980)[2](https://www.tuliresearchcentre.org/shashikala/research-centre/all). She worked in television in the 2000s, with credits including *Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai*, *Apnaapan*, *Dil Deke Dekho*, and *Son Pari*, and in later films such as *Mother '98*, *Baadshah*, *Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham* (2001), and *Mujhse Shaadi Karogi* (2004)[5](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/veteran-actress-shashikala-best-known-for-films-like-gumrah-and-aarti-dies-at-88-2406010). Her final release was *Padmashree Laloo Prasad Yadav* (2005), in which she played a South African witness[4](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/veteran-actor-shashikala-om-prakash-saigal-passes-away-7258394/lite/).
## Personal life and later years
While still in her early twenties she married Om Prakash Saigal, a relative of the singer Kundan Lal Saigal; the couple had two daughters, and after his business failed she worked double shifts to support the family[6](https://upperstall.com/profile/shashikala/?amp=1) • [9](https://www.rediff.com/movies/report/shashikala-hindi-cinemas-favourite-badwoman-passes-into-the-ages/20210405.htm). Her elder daughter Rekha died of cancer in 1993[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0789374/bio/).
In later life she turned to spirituality; at the 2011 Pune International Film Festival, where she received a Lifetime Achievement Award, she said she regretted being typecast in negative characters and had not found peace of mind until coming into contact with [Mother Teresa](https://www.edgepedia.org/mother-teresa)[11](https://www.expresspost.in/full-story/315/veteran-actress-shashikala-passed-away-in-mumbai). She died at her residence in Mumbai on 4 April 2021, at the age of 88; she had expressed a wish to donate her organs for medical research, which could not be fulfilled because of Covid-19 protocols[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0789374/bio/) • [12](https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/life-style/the-lesser-known-shashikala-veteran-actor-passes-away-7259904/).
## Recognition and assessment
Shashikala received the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award, in 2007 for her contribution to Indian cinema, and the V. Shantaram Award's Lifetime Achievement in 2009[4](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/veteran-actor-shashikala-om-prakash-saigal-passes-away-7258394/lite/) • [3](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/entertainment-news/2021/Apr/04/padma-shri-awardee-and-veteran-actor-shashikala-passes-away-at-88-2285722.html). She belongs to the generation of actresses, alongside [Madhubala](https://www.edgepedia.org/madhubala) and Meena Kumari, who entered films as children in the 1940s and 1950s and left their studies behind[13](https://thedailyeye.info/in-the-news/bad-girl-with-the-heart-of-gold/dc96a7782d69706d). Her range was the trait most often cited at her death: *The Tribune* described her as the kind of supporting actor who made the leads look better than they were, and co-stars such as [Dharmendra](https://www.edgepedia.org/dharmendra) and [Priyanka Chopra](https://www.edgepedia.org/priyanka-chopra) remembered her, respectively, as "a gem of a person" and "an actor par excellence"[14](https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/queen-of-versatility-234754/amp) • [7](https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/how-shashikala-grew-from-being-a-bollywood-star-to-serving-people-7267854/).
Note on the name: "Shashikala" is a common Indian given name, and the retained public records also include several other people bearing it, among them a Kannada film actress of the 1970s and 1980s credited in films such as *Mayura* (1975) and *Babruvahana* (1977), and various litigants and professionals[15](https://chiloka.com/celebrity/shashikala). This article covers the Hindi film actress above.
## References
1. [Shashikala Jawalkar – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0789374/bio/)
2. [Shashikala, Tuli Research Centre for India Studies](https://www.tuliresearchcentre.org/shashikala/research-centre/all)
3. [Padma Shri awardee and veteran actor Shashikala passes away at 88, The New Indian Express](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/entertainment-news/2021/Apr/04/padma-shri-awardee-and-veteran-actor-shashikala-passes-away-at-88-2285722.html)
4. [Veteran actor Shashikala Om Prakash Saigal passes away, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/veteran-actor-shashikala-om-prakash-saigal-passes-away-7258394/lite/)
5. [Veteran Actress Shashikala, Best Known For Films Like Gumrah And Aarti, Dies At 88, NDTV](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/veteran-actress-shashikala-best-known-for-films-like-gumrah-and-aarti-dies-at-88-2406010)
6. [Shashikala – Upperstall.com](https://upperstall.com/profile/shashikala/?amp=1)
7. [How Shashikala grew from being a Bollywood star to serving people, The Indian Express (Eye)](https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/how-shashikala-grew-from-being-a-bollywood-star-to-serving-people-7267854/)
8. [Shashikala, who shone in shades of gray, dead, Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/shashikala-who-shone-in-shades-of-gray-dead/articleshow/81903588.cms)
9. [Shashikala no more: Hindi cinema's favourite badwoman is no more, Rediff.com](https://www.rediff.com/movies/report/shashikala-hindi-cinemas-favourite-badwoman-passes-into-the-ages/20210405.htm)
10. [Shashikala (1932–2021), Uloroviyam](https://kekanaan.wordpress.com/2021/04/05/shashikala-1932-2021/)
11. [Veteran actress Shashikala passed away in Mumbai, Express Post](https://www.expresspost.in/full-story/315/veteran-actress-shashikala-passed-away-in-mumbai)
12. [The lesser-known Shashikala, The Indian Express (Life-style)](https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/life-style/the-lesser-known-shashikala-veteran-actor-passes-away-7259904/)
13. ['Bad Girl' with the Heart of Gold, The Daily Eye](https://thedailyeye.info/in-the-news/bad-girl-with-the-heart-of-gold/dc96a7782d69706d)
14. [Shashikala, queen of versatility, The Tribune](https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/queen-of-versatility-234754/amp)
15. [Shashikala: Kannada Actress, Movies, Chiloka](https://chiloka.com/celebrity/shashikala)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Film actors and performers › Indian and South Asian film actors by industry and language › Hindi film actors, 1930s–1960s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license