Parveen Babi

Biography

Parveen Babi (4 April 1954 – 20 January 2005) was an Indian actress and model who worked in Hindi films. Regarded as one of the finest actresses of Indian cinema, she was one of the highest-paid actresses of the 1970s and early 1980s. Babi was known for her "glamorous" acting style; her modeling and fashion sense additionally established her as an icon.

Babi made her acting debut with the film Charitra (1973) and received recognition for Majboor (1974). She had her breakthrough with Deewaar (1975) and went on to establish herself with successful films such as - Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), Suhaag (1979), Kaala Patthar (1979), The Burning Train (1980), Shaan (1980), Kranti (1981), Kaalia (1981) and Namak Halaal (1982). In 1976, she was the first Bollywood star to appear on the cover of Time magazine. The 1991 film Irada marked her final film appearance before retirement.

Babi's personal life has been well-documented by the media; she had remained unmarried after a string of relationships with Kabir Bedi, Danny Denzongpa, and Mahesh Bhatt. She was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, which came to the attention of the public following various incidents, as well as diabetes. She also had osteoarthritis of the knee. On 20 January 2005, Babi died of multiple organ failure.