Celluloid memories

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She wowed the audiences with her glamorous looks in the ’60s and ’70s. To this day, Leena Chandavarkar has not lost her charm.

Born and brought up in Dharwad, Karnataka, Leena retained a strong sense of her roots and upbringing despite her foray into the celluloid world. “It was for me to make it. Belonging to a conservative family, my parents did not allow me to try for a career in films. It was solely because my maternal grandfather (in his 90s in 1965), that I could participate in the Filmfare Talent Hunt,” she says. “I cut a sorry figure as Shaktida (Samanta) and Pramod Chakravorty found me too childish. They promised me a role only after two years.”
She adds, “Sunil Dutt and Nargis saw one of the advertisements in which I appeared, and Dutt saab sent his assistant all the way to my house to offer me a role in Masiha. My filmi safar began from this point — although the movie was never completed. As an actor, Dutt saab’s films were doing well at the box office while this film got shelved.”
Despite many illustrious names she worked opposite, Leena never featured as Shammi Kapoor’s leading lady. Leena explains why: “My father was informed by a few industry insiders that Shammi was a bit of a flirt. I got offers to work with Rajesh Khanna and Shammi, but dad would always say ‘no’ for Shammi and ‘yes’ for Rajesh.”
Leena recounts how her friendship with Kaka developed. “While working in Mehboob Ki Mehandi, Kaka would tell the director, ‘Mujh se lucky toh yeh saat pardeh hein jo Leena ko chu toh sakte hein’, (these seven curtains are luckier than me as at least they can touch Leena). He was a thorough gentleman and respected all his heroines. After my marriage (to Kishore Kumar), Kaka came home. As we were quiet, Kishore asked Kaka ‘Meri biwi mein koi kharabi hai kya? Tum dono baat kyun nahi karte?’ We both laughed out loud and since then, became friends,” she says.
Leena recalls how her slender frame was a cause for concern. “I was doing a film with Raj Kumar and Vinod Khanna. I hated exposing too much skin, but my costume designer was asked to make me look voluptuous. She forced me to wear a bra with cups that would lift my assets. While I was performing the scene, someone in the crowd said, ‘Kya baat hai.’ The second time it happened, I got irritated and just pulled out my cups along with their cotton padding and said, ‘Yeh baat hai!’ One of the actors present there had said it,” she says.
Rumours of link-ups had to be avoided at all cost. “I was always afraid of getting involved with any of my co-actors because had my father found it out, it would have been the end of my career,” says Leena, adding that some advice from Nargis helped her throughout her career: “She told me, never marry someone from the film industry. And that as an actor, I should be as fluid as water, and take the shape of the container.”