Latest news with #MeenakshiShirodkar
India.com
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- India.com
Meet First Indian Actress To Wear A Bikini On-Screen, She Is Paternal Grandmother Of 2 Bollywood Actresses & No She Is Not Sharmila Tagore...Her Name Is
photoDetails english 2941266 Updated:Aug 05, 2025, 07:00 AM IST First Indian Actress To Wear A Bikini On-Screen 1 / 7 First Indian Actress To Wear A Bikini On-Screen: While many Indian actresses are now breaking stereotypes through their roles and film choices, back in 1930s, a star was made her sensational debut, sending shockwaves as she stunned in a black swimwear. Who was she and which film was it? Today, in this feature, let's find out more about the first Indian actress to wear a bikini on-screen: Who Was Meenakshi Shirodkar? 2 / 7 Meenakshi Shirodkar worked predominantly in Marathi films, Marathi theatre and television. She made her debut in 1938 and continued to act in films until the early 1970s. She hogged limelight for wearing a swimsuit in the Marathi film Brahmachari (1938) with Master Vinayak. She is the paternal grandmother of two Bollywood actresses, Namrata Shirodkar and Shilpa Shirodkar. First Indian Actress To Wear A Bikini 3 / 7 So unlike popular belief that Sharmila Tagore was the first Indian actress to wear a bikini on-screen, it was actually actress Meenakshi Shirodkar who made an appearance in 1938 film Brahmachari wearing a swimsuit, hogging all the attention back in time. It was considered to be a huge move for any actress in those days. She wore a bikini set for a song 'Yamuna Jali Khelu Khel'. The song was sung by Shirodkar herself and became a huge hit. Sharmila Tagore, Nalini Jaywant, Nargis And Other Actresses Who Wore Bikini 4 / 7 Nalini Jaywant did wear a bikini in the 1950 film 'Sangram' alongside Ashok Kumar. Nargis in 'Awaara' (1951) and Nutan in 'Dilli Ka Thug' (1958) also donned swimwear. But it is Sharmila Tagore, whose bikini appearance in the 1966 Filmfare photoshoot and not a movie is considered path-breaking. Meenakshi Shirodkar's Personal Life 5 / 7 Meenakshi Shirodkar was born as Ratan Pednekar to a Maharashtrian family with Goan roots. She was later married to Dr Shirodkar, with whom she had a son, who married Marathi actress Gangu Bai and became parents of film actresses Namrata Shirodkar and Shilpa Shirodkar. She started learning Indian classical music at an early age. Shirodkar died at the age of 80 in Mumbai. Meenakshi Shirodkar's Debut 6 / 7 She made her sensational debut in 1938 Marathi film Brahmachari, opposite Master Vinayak. The writer of the film Pralhad Keshav Atre, better known as "Āchārya Atre", changed her name from "Ratan" to "Meenaxi" to suit her big eyes, reportedly. Her Noteworthy Filmography 7 / 7 Besides Brahmachari, she was seen in Brandichi Batli (1939), Ghar Ki Rani (1940), Amrut (1941), Jawani (1942), Majhe Bal (1943), Sangam (1943), Amanat (1943), Badi Maa (1945), Miss Mary (1957) and Pakeezah (1972) among several others.
India.com
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India.com
Not Sharmila Tagore or Zeenat Aman, this actress was the first to wear a bikini onscreen, shares a special connection with Mahesh Babu, her name is…
Now, it is not a big deal for actresses to wear a bikini or swimsuit in Bollywood. Now, actresses are not shying away from giving intense scenes in every film. There was a time in Hindi cinema when actresses used to be seen in a saree. The names of Sharmila Tagore and Zeenat Aman come first in wearing a bikini in films, but no. Before these two legendary actresses, in the 30s, a Marathi actress had created a stir on the screen by wearing a bikini onscreen. This was the first time that an actress wore a swimsuit in a film. After this actress, actresses like Sharmila Tagore and Zeenat Aman were seen in bikinis. Which actress wore the swimsuit first? Actually, we are talking about the Marathi film Brahmachari, which was released in the year 1938. In this film, actress Meenakshi Shirodkar was seen in a swimsuit onscreen. This was the black and white era of cinema. The actress wore a swimsuit in the song Yamuna Jali Khelu Khel of the film. When the audience saw this look on Meenakshi, they were stunned, because this was the first experience for the audience on screen. At the same time, when this song was dubbed in Hindi, Meenakshi became more popular. You will be surprised to know that Meenakshi Shirodkar was the grandmother of South superstar Mahesh Babu's wife, Namrata Shirodkar. Who is Meenakshi Shirodkar? Meenakshi was born in 1916, and her real name was Ratan Pednekar. She married Dr. Shirodkar at the age of 19. After marriage, she changed her name to Meenakshi Shirodkar. Brahmachari was her debut film, and she created a stir by wearing a swimsuit in her debut film itself. Talking about Sharmila Tagore, she created a stir by wearing a bikini in the films An Evening in Paris and Aamne-Saamne in the year 1967. In the 70s, Zeenat Aman gave bikini scenes in many films.
