Rattan Bai

Rattan Bai (Marathi: रत्तन बाई) was an Indian film actress and singer, and the ancestress of several Bollywood film stars.

Film career

After the first Indian "talkie" film was released in 1931, the ability to sing became a major qualification when selecting actors for movies. In this era, the women were apprehensive of appearing on stage or in films.[1] Thus, women who were willing and able to work in films were a rarity. Rattan Bai was a fairly talented singer who wrote bhajans, composed and sang them as well. She published the lyrics of her Bhajans to distribute among friends who would sing with her during Mahashivratri celebrations at her home in Chembur, Mumbai. Ratanbai acted in only one Marathi film called Swarajyachya seemewar, as Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's mother who is said to be the Mother of Maratha Empire, Rajmata (Queen Mother) Jijamata, the Veermata (Brave Mother).

Family
Main article: Mukherjee-Samarth family

Rattan Bai was already in her forties when she made her film debut in 1933. Her teenage daughter Shobhna Samarth became interested in films and made her own debut in 1935. In 1941, Rattan Bai's brother's daughter Nalini Jaywant also made her film debut. Later, Shobhna married director Kumarsen Samarth and the couple had three daughters, Nutan, Tanuja,and Chatura and 1 son, Jaideep. Nutan & Tanuja both becoming celebrated actresses. Tanuja married Shomu Mukherjee, a writer & film producer. In the next generation, Nutan's son Mohnish Behl and Tanuja's daughters, Kajol and Tanisha became film stars, and Kajol is married to the film star Ajay Devgan.

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References
  1. Rediff On The NeT, Movies: Down memory lane with Shobhana Samarth.
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