Shobhana Samarth

Shobhana Samarth (17 November 1916 – 9 February 2000) was a Marathi cinema actress, director, as well as producer. Shobhana was born on 17 November 1916 in Bombay, British India, as Saroj Shilotri. An only child, her father Prabhakar Shilotri was a "pioneer banker" having started the Shilotri Bank in Bombay.Her mother Rattan Bai, in 1936, acted in the film Frontiers of Freedom, in Marathi (Swarajyachya Seemewar).

Shobhana started her career in the Hindi cinema industry's early talkie era and remained in lead roles throughout the 1950s. She began her career in Marathi movies. Nigahen Nafrat, her debut Hindi film, was released in 1935. She is most known as Sita in Ram Rajya (1943). She received the Filmfare Special Award for her services to the arts in 1997. Two of her daughters, Nutan and Tanuja, also became actresses. Samarth subsequently produced and directed two films that launched her daughters' careers, Nutan and Tanuja (i.e. Shobhana produced their debut films).Her other daughter Chatura, is an artist and her son Jaideep is an advertising film producer.Chatura and Jaideep never acted in films.Nutan's son Mohnish Bahl is also an actor, as are Tanuja's daughters Kajol and Tanishaa Mukerji. 

Shobana's debut film was "Orphans Of Society," also known as Nigahe Nafrat or Vilasi Ishwar, directed by Vinayak and starring Vinayak and Baburao Pendharkar for Kolhapur Cinetone. Although the film did not succeed, Shobna received great accolades for her performance. The film was produced in both Urdu and Marathi. Shobhna reveals in an interview that she had no knowledge of Urdu throughout the shooting and had to memorize the phrases. It was only after that she picked up the language. She spent thirteen months with Kolhapur Cinetone but only appeared in one film. She joined Sagar Movietone (Sagar Film Company) after leaving Kolhapur Cinetone. She appeared in one film, Kokila (1937), directed by Sarvottam Badami and starring Motilal, Sabita Devi, and Sitara Devi. Sagar's other film appearance was in C. M. Luhar's Do Diwane (1936), which starred Motilal, Yakub, and Aruna Devi.By the end of 1937, Shobhana had left Sagar and joined General Films, where she appeared in Mohan Sinha's Industrial India (Nirala Hindustan) with Prem Adib and Wasti and in Pati Patni (1939), directed by V. M. Gunjal, starred Yakub, Sitara Devi, and Wasti.By 1939, she had joined Hindustan Cinetone and worked on four films with them, including C. M. Luhar's Kaun Kisi ka (1939) and Saubhagya (1940), as well as V. M. Gunjal's Apni Nagariya (1940). She later appeared in a film directed by her husband, Kumar Sen Samarth, titled Ghar Javai (1941), with Damuanna Malvankar.  Bharat Milap, directed by Vijay Bhatt and starring Durga Khote as Kaikeyi, Shobhana as Seeta, and Prem Adib as Ram, launched her career in 1942. Following this was Ram Rajya in 1943, in which Shobhana was recognized as Seeta, resulting in numerous subsequent films in which the roles were repeated. Shobhana as Sita and Prem Adib as Rama were immensely famous and were well-received by audiences, who had them appear on calendars as Rama and Sita. 

 Filmography as actress: Apni Nagariya (1940), Chhalia (1960), Chitralekha (1964), Do Chor (1972), Do Diwane (1936), Ek Bar Mooskura Do (1972), Ghar Dwaar (1985), Hamari Beti (1950), Insaniyat (1955), Kokila (1937), Love in Simla (1960), Mahasati Ansuya (1943), Malika (1947), Nai Umar Ki Nai Fasal (1965), Narasinha Avatar (1949), Naukar (1943), Nigah-e-Nafrat (1935), Panitheeratha Veedu (1973), Pati Patni (1939), Ram Janma (1951), Ram Rajya (1943), Rambaan (1948), Sati Toral (1947), Savera (1942), Shahkar (1947), Taramati (1945), Veer Kunal (1945), Vijay Lakshmi (1943), Vilasi Ishwar (1935), Wahan Ke Log (1967)

 Filmography as Director: Hamari Beti (1950),Chhabili (1960)