Most actresses of her generation used to emote through eyes, and Vyjayanthimala was the best in the art

I remember we had a brief conversation about her returning to acting, and she told me point-blank that she had retired for good. Those days, this was news. But at the same time, she mentioned that she wanted to pursue her dance career. Little did I know that two years later she would contest the Lok Sabha polls and win from south Chennai!

Picture Talk/By NK Sareen

From the day I saw her in Naya Daur during my childhood, Vyjayanthimala became my favorite actress. Madhubala being the other one, and according to me, the very best.

In the summer of 1982, I went to Madras (now Chennai) to cover an award function for Filmfare on the instructions of its editor, Bikram Singh.

After the function was over, I decided to stay back in the city for a few more days to renew my connections with the South Indian film industry. Whenever I used to land in Madras, I usually utilised the opportunity to network with the south stars, and that trip was no different.

On that trip I was desperate to meet Vyjayanthimala. In 1982, she had become a sort of recluse. I knew she hadn’t stepped out of her home for long, and I wasn’t sure if she would like to be photographed. So, I requested a journalist friend, who knew her personally, to help me out.

My friend called her, and surprisingly, she agreed. I remember taking a taxi that very afternoon to a huge bungalow in south Chennai.

When I reached there, Vyjayanthimala asked me to wait in the huge hall on the ground floor. Even though I had wanted to photograph her without any make-up, she wasn’t ready to face the camera without some paint on her face. She took a good one hour to finish her make-up and then came downstairs.

She gave a few beautiful expressions which I tried to capture on my black-and-white film. Most actresses of her generation used to emote through their eyes, and she was the best in the art.

I remember we had a brief conversation about her returning to acting, and she told me point-blank that she had retired for good. Those days, this was news. But at the same time, she mentioned that she wanted to pursue her dance career. Little did I know that two years later she would contest the Lok Sabha elections and win from south Chennai!

[In this column, ‘Picture Talk’, veteran photo journalist NK Sareen, a former Photo Editor at Expanse International and a writer, shines light on some of the pictures of personalities he has clicked over the years, with a touch of nostalgia. The views expressed here are the author’s own and The News Porter bears no responsibility for the same.]