Latest news with #IndianicaDanceAcademy
India.com
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- India.com
Meet actress who started her career with cabaret dance, rose to fame with one role, was Meena Kumari's..., quit actin after..., is now...
In the 80s, 90s and the following years, the Indian TV serials were being picked up by people in India. While many serials made it to the audience's TV screens, only a few of them turned out to be a huge hit, and among them was Ramayan. Released in 1987, the show featured Arun Govil essaying the role of Lord Ram. The story of the series stuck with the audience and despite being 38 years since its release, the serial is still discussed among people. It was one of those serials which gave name and fame to all its actors. Among them was Padma Khanna. If the name doesn't ring a bell, then do you remember who played Kaikeyi in Ramayan? If the face appears in front of your mind, then it was Padma Khanna for you. Do you know that even before appearing in Ramayan, Padma was a cabaret dancer? Yes, you read that right! When Padma Khanna was hardly 7, she started to learn dance from Pandit Birju Maharaj. She was a very beautiful dancer. Seeing her talent, Padmini and Vaijayantimala suggested her to find a career in films. In 1970, Padma got a chance to work in Dev Anand's film Johnny Mera Naam. In this film, she appeared in the role of a cabaret dancer. However, Padma Khanna was stereotyped in the industry and was only offered roles of the dancers. Do you know that Padma worked as Meena Kumari's double in Pakeezah? Padma got her real identity from Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan. Although Padma initially rejected the offer of this show because of the negative role, Ramanand later convinced her a lot and finally Padma agreed to become 'Kaikeyi', which she portrayed on screen with such beauty and vivaciousness that even today one cannot even imagine seeing anyone else in this role. Padma now runs her own Kathak dance academy called Indianica Dance Academy.
India.com
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- India.com
Remember Padma Khanna, the actress who played ‘Kaikeyi' in Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan? Once a superstar, became famous as a cabaret dancer, was Meena Kumari's…, quit acting, is now…
Remember Padma Khanna, the actress who played 'Kaikeyi' in Ramanand Sagar's Ramayana? Once a superstar, became famous as a cabaret dancer, was Meena Kumari's..., quit acting, is now... Today, we will talk about this actress who not just starred in many films but also became a household name on television. At the peak of her career, she left everything behind and went to live happily ever after with the man of her dreams. Well, she garnered immense love from masses after portraying the role of Queen Kaikeyi in Ramanand Sagar's mythological TV show Ramayan (1987-88) . She is none other than Indian actress Padma Khanna. At the age of 7, Padma started learning Kathak from Guru Kishen Maharaj of Varanasi. Gradually, she started performing on stage and later learnt advanced form of Kathak from Gopi Krishna. After watching her impeccable dancing skills, veteran actresses Padmini and Vyjayanthimala recommended her to pursue career in acting. At the age of 12, she made her debut as an actress in the 1961 Bhojpuri film Bhaiyya . Her big break came in 1970 when she played the role of a cabaret dancer in Johnny Mera Naam . Padma also portrayed the role of a dancer in many films including Loafer, Jaan-e-Bahaar, and Pakeezah, where she acted as Meena Kumari's body double in opening shots. Padma starred in over 400 films of all Indian languages including Saaz Aur Awaaz, Biwi Aur Makaan, Baharon Ke Sapne, Sangharsh, Dastaan, Hindustan Ki Kasam, Rampur Ka lakshman and Saudagar. She acted in TV serials too, the most popular among them being Ramayan , in which she portrayed Kaikeyi, one of the two key female characters. Married to film director Jagdish l. Sidana, the Saudagar actress moved to the US in the 1990s and founded the Indianica Dance Academy. Following her marriage, Padma left the film business behind and is now living life away from glitz and glam.
