PROFILE

DOB: 1 November, 1965
Star sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Mumbai, India
Occupation: Actress and singer

Achievements:

• Padmini Kolhapure was a popular actress in the 1980s. She received two Filmfare Awards; supporting actress at 15 and best actress at 17, thus becoming the second-youngest actress to win the awards in the respective categories.

Interesting facts:

• Padmini was born second among three daughters to Pandharinath Kolhapure and Nirupama Kolhapure. Her older sister is the former actress Shivangi Kapoor, wife of actor Shakti Kapoor and mother of actress Shraddha and Siddhanth. Her younger sister is the actress Tejaswini Kolhapure.

• The family took the surname "Kolhapure" because they hailed from Kolhapur. Padmini's mother was born into a Konkani-speaking Brahmin family belonging to Mangalore in Karnataka. Her father was a talented vocalist and Veena player.

• Padmini’s grandmother was the half-sister of Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar. Thus, Padmini is a niece of singers Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhonsle.

• She formerly used to work as ground staff with Air India. As a child, she sang in the chorus for songs in films such as Yaadon Ki Baaraat, Kitab and Dushman Dost with her sister Shivangi. Padmini later sang for her own films such as Vidhaata, Saat Saheliyan, Hum Intezaar Karenge and Sadak Chaap.

• Asha Bhosle suggested Padmini's name to Dev Anand, who then cast her in Ishq Ishq Ishq (1975). Her most famous child role was in Raj Kapoor's Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1977). Her mother quit her airlines job to be a full-time chaperone as Padmini picked up more roles.

• Her most controversial role in Insaaf Ka Tarazu (1980), a remake of Lipstick (1976), where she played the role originally played by Mariel Hemingway.

• Padmini graduated to main leads at the age of 15 in Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai opposite Rishi Kapoor. The film flopped, but she reunited with him for his father's Prem Rog (1982) which became a huge hit.

• She agreed to work with Anil Kapoor when he was a newcomer in his first film Woh Saat Din (1983). The movie was a hit and helped cement his name in the Indian film industry; Anil attributes his eventual success in the film industry to her "luck".

• The actress released an album with Bappi Lahiri titled Music Lovers and performed for the Greater London Council at the Royal Albert Hall in London with Bappi and his troupe in 1986.

• While working for Aisa Pyar Kahan, Padmini met Pradeep Sharma, the producer of the film. They got married after a brief courtship in 1986. They have a son named Priyank Sharma.

• After her son grew up, she returned to acting in 2004, such as for the Marathi films. Her work earned her a Screen Award in the Best Marathi Actress category. In 2011, she made her foray into Malayalam cinema with an adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet.