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Simi Garewal

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Simi Garewal
Garewal in 2012
Born
Simrita Garewal[1]

Ludhiana, Punjab, India[2][3]
Occupation(s)Film actress, producer, director, talk show hostess
Years active1962–2011
Spouse
Ravi Mohan
​
​
(m. 1970; div. 1979)​
[4][5]
RelativesPamela Chopra (first cousin)
Websitewww.simigarewal.com

Simi Garewal (born Simrita Garewal;[1]) is an Indian actress, director, producer and a talk show hostess.

She is known for her work in Hindi films like Do Badan (1966), Saathi (1968), Mera Naam Joker (1970), Siddhartha (1972), Karz (1980) and Udeekaan (Punjabi film). She acted in the Bengali film Aranyer Din Ratri directed by Satyajit Ray. She is also known for her celebrity talk show, Rendezvous with Simi Garewal.

Early life

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Garewal was born in Ludhiana.[2][3] Her father, Brigadier J. S. Garewal served in the Indian Army. Simi is a cousin of Pamela Chopra, wife of filmmaker Yash Chopra. Simi's mother Darshi and Pamela's father Mohinder Singh were siblings.[6] Simi grew up in England and studied at Newland House School with her sister Amrita.[7]

Film and television career

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After spending much of her childhood in England, Garewal returned to India while a teenager. Her fluency in the English language induced the makers of the English-language film Tarzan Goes to India to offer her a role. Garewal made her debut alongside Feroz Khan in this film released in 1962.[8] Her performance was good enough for her to fetch many more film offers. During the 1960s and '70s, she was in several notable Indian films, working with leading directors such as with Mehboob Khan in Son of India (1962), Raj Khosla in Do Badan (1966), Raj Kapoor in Mera Naam Joker (1970), Satyajit Ray in Aranyer Din Ratri (1970, Days and Nights in the Forest) and Mrinal Sen in Padatik (1973, The Guerilla Fighter). She starred opposite Shashi Kapoor in Columbia Pictures' Siddhartha (1972), an English-language movie based on the novel by Hermann Hesse. Garewal did a nude scene in this film which caused some controversy in India and was only released for exhibition after complying with cuts ordered by the Indian Censor board.[9][10][11] Later, in the mid-1970s, she made an appearance in the popular film Kabhi Kabhie (1976), made by her brother in-law Yash Chopra, and had a starring role in Chalte Chalte (1976).[12] Another notable role she played was as a vamp in Karz (1980). She starred in the BBC docu-drama Maharajas (1987), based on the book by Charles Allen.

In the early 1980s, her attention turned to writing and direction. She formed her own production company, Siga Arts International. She hosted, produced and directed a TV series for Doordarshan called It's a Woman's World (1983). She also made a documentary for Channel 4 in the UK called Living Legend Raj Kapoor (1984). This was followed by a three-part documentary on Rajiv Gandhi titled India's Rajiv. She wrote and directed a Hindi feature film Rukhsat and produced television commercials.

Garewal anchored the talk show Rendezvous with Simi Garewal.[13]

She usually wears her signature white clothes on TV shows and at award ceremonies, and is popularly known as "The Lady in White".[14] Garewal recently appeared on Say Shava Shava 2008 as a host and judge.[15] After the Mumbai terrorist attacks of November 2008, Simi Garewal aroused controversy by publicly calling for the Indian government to "carpet-bomb" the training camps in Pakistan for which she later apologized. [16]

She returned to television with her new talk show India's Most Desirable on Star Plus which would interview only eligible singles, Bollywood actors, business and media icons, and Indian cricketers about their "ideal and desirable beaus".[17]

Simi Garewal has her own website which she uses to interact with her fans. The site has her voice reading the text.[18] She also has her own channel on YouTube where all her shows and documentaries are uploaded. The channel has received over 40 million views.[19]

Personal life

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Garewal had her first serious relationship at the age of 17, with the Maharaja of Jamnagar, Shatrusalyasinhji who was also her neighbour in England.[20][21][22] Garewal was later in a relationship with Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, the Nawab of Pataudi, but he broke up with her after he met Sharmila Tagore.[23][24]

In 1970, she married Ravi Mohan, a member of the aristocratic Chunnamal family from Delhi. They divorced in 1979.[4][5][22]

Filmography

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As an actress

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Year Film Role Notes
1962 Raaz Ki Baat Kamal
Son of India Lalita
Tarzan Goes to India Princess Kamara
1965 Teen Devian Simi / Radha Rani
Johar-Mehmood in Goa Simmi
1966 Do Badan Dr. Anjali
1968 Aadmi Aarti
Saathi Rajini
Ek Raat Rekha B Sharma
1970 Mera Naam Joker Mary
Aranyer Din Ratri Duli Bengali film
1971 Andaz Mona
Do Boond Pani Gauri
Seema
1972 Anokhi Pehchan
Siddhartha Kamala
1973 Padatik Woman who shelters activist Bengali film
Namak Haraam Manisha
1974 Haath Ki Safai Roma S Kumar
1975 Dak Bangla Simi Nitin Sethi and others
1976 Naach Uthe Sansaar Somu
Chalte Chalte Geeta
Kabhi Kabhie Shobha Kapoor
1977 Abhi To Jee Lein Miss Mahajan
1979 Ahsaas Asha Choudhry
1980 The Burning Train School Teacher
Karz Kamini Verma
Insaf Ka Tarazu Lawyer
1981 Naseeb Herself Cameo Appearance
Professor Pyarelal Rita
Biwi-O-Biwi Nisha
1982 Teri Meri Kahani Meena Shastry/Seema
Hathkadi Pammi Mittal
1986 Love and God Ghazala
1988 Rukhsat Radha Talwar Also Director

Television

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Year Show name Role Notes
1985 Living Legend Raj Kapoor Writer/director Documentary on Raj Kapoor for Channel Four Television, UK
1991 India's Rajiv Writer/director Three-part documentary series on Rajiv Gandhi
1997 Rendezvous with Simi Garewal Host 5 seasons (140 episodes), on Star World India
2011 Simi Selects India's Most Desirable Host 1 seasons (22 episodes), on Star World India

References

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  1. ^ a b "Rendezvous With Simi Garewal SPECIAL 3rd Season Part-2". 16 October 2012. Event occurs at 03:03. Retrieved 24 August 2019 – via YouTube.
  2. ^ a b "Happy birthday Simi Grewal". ndtv.com. 17 October 2010.
  3. ^ a b Rendezvous-with-Simi-Garewal. The Times of India.
  4. ^ a b "Ratan Tata And Ravi Mohan To Mansoor Ali Khan, Men In Simi Garewal's Life". news18.com. 9 February 2023.
  5. ^ a b "When Simi Garewal almost adopted a girl from orphanage but her parents showed up: 'It was heartbreaking'". Hindustan Times. 1 September 2021.
  6. ^ "Pamela and Simi".[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ Rendezvous with Simi Garewal – The Times of India. The Times of India. (1 February 2004). Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  8. ^ [1] Archived 30 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ 'I Don't Know One Editor In India Who Is Well-Read'. www.outlookindia.com. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  10. ^ Movies: Siddhartha, a lost tale. rediff.com (21 September 2002). Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  11. ^ Siddhartha (1972). PopMatters. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  12. ^ Gloriously grey Archived 17 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Screenindia.com (17 October 2008). Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  13. ^ Simi Garewal's Rendezvous 100 Party. Sify.com (14 June 2004). Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  14. ^ "Archive News". The Hindu.
  15. ^ Screen > The Business of Entertainment[permanent dead link]. Screenindia.com (4 January 2008). Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  16. ^ "WE, THE PEOPLE - The Mumbai tragedy and the English language news media". Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  17. ^ "Simi brings 'India's Most Desirable' on TV - TV News - IBNLive". ibnlive.in.com. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  18. ^ "Simi Garewal website". Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  19. ^ "SimiGarewalOfficial on YouTube". Retrieved 31 May 2024 – via YouTube.
  20. ^ "When Simi Garewal spoke about 'passionate affair' with Maharaja of Jamnagar: 'We did mad, crazy things'". Hindustan Times. 17 October 2021.
  21. ^ "I'm a sucker for looks: Simi Garewal - Times of India". The Times of India. 13 November 2011.
  22. ^ a b "I regret not having a child - Simi Garewal". filmfare.com. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  23. ^ "From TOI Archives: Tiger Pataudi's untold tale". The Times of India. 23 September 2011.
  24. ^ Joshi, Sonali; Srivastava, Priyanka (3 October 2011). "'Rendezvous with Simi'to rekindle Pataudi's romance". India Today.
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