Parveen Babi biopic: Urvashi Rautela bags lead role, vows to make late actress proud
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Mumbai: Iconic yesteryear actress Parveen Babi is getting a biopic and former Miss India Urvashi Rautela has been chosen to play the role.
The 29-year-old took to Instagram to announce the news and said she will make Parveen Babi proud even though Bollywood failed her. "Bollywood Failed #ParveenBabi but I will make you proud #PB ~ UR. Om Namah Shivaya. Trust the magic of new beginnings."
Parveen Babi was one of the A-listers in the 1970s and 1980s. She struggled with mental health and paparazzi intrusion in her personal life. She was found dead at her residence in Mumbai at the age of 50. There have been several scandals and rumours about her personal life during and after her death.
Recently, veteran Bollywood actress Zeenat Aman who also happens to be Parveen Babi's contemporary wrote about her relationship with the late actress.
She said Parveen Babi never got to be in control of the narrative around her life and tabloids focused on romantic relationships and mental health issues. Zeenat said Parveen was intelligent, hardworking, and creative. "She loved reading, and I remember her curled up with a book in between shots on set."
She added that Parveen was remarkable in many ways. "She achieved incredible success as an actor, even featuring on the cover of Time magazine. Later, she took up various creative pursuits, embarked on a spiritual journey, and started designing interiors."
Back in the day, tabloids liked to say that Parveen and Zeenat were rivals and competed against each other. Zeenat on Parveen's birth anniversary clarified that they were colleagues and well-wishers. "Naturally the media at the time spun tales of competition and rivalry between us, but in reality, we were always warm towards each other. Not best friends, but contemporaries, colleagues, and well-wishers. We worked together on Ashanti and Mahaan. We stayed in touch on and off for years, before ultimately drifting apart."
She added that Parveen was "gorgeous, glamorous and talented" and she will be remembered for the "effervescent person" she was.
Parveen Babi is revered for her fashion sense and was one of the highest-paid actresses of her time. She is known for her roles in Amar Akbar Anthony, Kaala Patthar, Namak Halal, and Deewar. She remained unmarried and her relationships with Kabir Bedi, Danny Denzongpa, and Mahesh Bhatt were well-documented by the media. After she was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, her episodes came to the public's attention. She was also a patient with diabetes and osteoarthritis. She died of multiple organ failure in 2005.
