Raakhee Gulzar ( Majumdar) (; born 15 August 1947), professionally known as Raakhee, is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi and Bengali films. One of the leading and most popular actresses of the 1970s and early 1980s, Raakhee is a recipient of several awards including two National Film Awards and three Filmfare Awards. In 2003, she received Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award.
Raakhee made her film debut with the Bengali film Badhu Bharan (1967). She had her first Hindi film with Jeevan Mrityu (1970). Raakhee's career marked a turning point with Aankhon Aankhon Mein (1972), (1973), for which she won her first Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress, and 27 Down (1974). She won her first and only Filmfare Award for Best Actress for Tapasya (1976).
Raakhee went on to establish herself as one of the leading actresses of Hindi cinema with films like - Blackmail (1973), Kabhi Kabhie (1976), Doosra Aadmi (1977), Trishna, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (both 1978), Kaala Patthar, Jurmana (both 1979), Barsaat Ki Ek Raat (1981), Shakti (1982), Ram Lakhan (1989), for which she won her second Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress, Baazigar (1993), Karan Arjun (1995), Border (1997), (2001) and Shubho Mahurat (2003). For the last of these, she won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Raakhee married poet, lyricist and author Gulzar in 1973 with whom she has a daughter, writer and director Meghna Gulzar.
In 1971, Raakhee played a double role opposite Shashi Kapoor in the musical romance Sharmeelee, and also starred in the dramas Lal Patthar and Paras; all three films emerged as commercial successes and she quickly established herself as a leading actress of Hindi Cinema. Shehzada (1972) opposite Rajesh Khanna and Aankhon Aankhon Mein (1972) opposite a relative newcomer Rakesh Roshan showcased her comic abilities, though their box office returns was unsatisfactory. In 1973, she continued to display versatility even in relatively small roles in the romances Heera Panna and , with her strong performances, earning her first Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for the latter. In 1974, Raakhee won a Special Souvenir prize at the National Film Awards for 27 Down. The Telegraph commended her "nuanced take on an independent working woman who has more steel in her than the film’s flawed protagonist – truly a break from the synthetic women in films of the era".
The phenomenal success of Rajshri Productions' Tapasya (1976), a heroine-dominated drama, established Raakhee as a box-office name to reckon with. Starring opposite Asrani and Parikshit Sahni, her portrayal of a family breadwinner who sacrifices her dreams and ambitions for the future of her younger siblings, earned Raakhee her first and only Filmfare Award for Best Actress. The Hindu acknowledged her role as a "calculated risk", which required her to be shown in a "mature, somewhat middle aged role", and praised her "amazing restraint and conviction" in it. She later described the film as "one of the most important films of my career" and regards her performances in Blackmail (1973), Tapasya and Aanchal (1980) as her best.
Raakhee starred with Dev Anand in Heera Panna, Banarasi Babu (1973), Joshila (1973) and Lootmaar (1980). She starred opposite Shashi Kapoor in 10 released films: Sharmeelee, Jaanwar Aur Insaan (1972), Kabhie Kabhie (1976), Doosra Aadmi (1977), the critically acclaimed Trishna (1978), Baseraa (1981), Bandhan Kuchchey Dhaagon Ka (1983), Zameen Aasmaan (1984), and Pighalta Aasman (1985) and the unreleased Ek Do Teen Chaar. Her exemplary chemistry with Amitabh Bachchan was showcased in eight films: Kabhie Kabhie, Muqaddar Ka Sikander (1978), Kasme Vaade (1978), Trishul (1978), Kaala Patthar (1979), Jurmana (1979), Barsaat Ki Ek Raat (1981), and Bemisal (1982). In some films such as Jurmana, her name is even credited ahead of the hero. She also formed a popular pair with Sanjeev Kumar in films like Hamare Tumhare (1979) and Shriman Shrimati (1982).
In 1981, a 23-year-old aspiring director Anil Sharma asked her to star in an out-and-out female oriented role in his debut film Shradhanjali. After the success of the film, Raakhee was flooded by strong heroine-dominated roles. At the peak of her career as a popular heroine, she surprised everyone by accepting strong character roles as sister-in-law to Rajesh Khanna in Aanchal, Shashi Kapoor and Amitabh in Shaan (1980), Mithun Chakraborty in Dhuan (1981) , and mother to Amitabh in Shakti and Rishi Kapoor in Yeh Vaada Raha (1982). She also starred in several Bengali language films at the time, with Paroma (1984) earning her the Bengal Film Journalists' Association Award for Best Actress (Hindi).
At the start of her film career, she dropped her surname and was mentioned in film credits only as "Raakhee", by which name she attained stardom, but upon marrying lyricist-director Sampooran Singh Kalra, professionally known as Gulzar, she took his pen name as her surname and is credited thereafter as Raakhee Gulzar. The couple has a daughter, Meghna Gulzar. When their daughter was only one year old, they separated.
After completing her graduation in films from New York University, Meghna went on to become a director of films including Filhaal... (2002), Just Married (2007) and Dus Kahaniyaan (2007), and authored a biography of her father in 2004.
At one point, Raakhee stayed in her bungalow, "Muktangan" (bought from the Marathi playwright P. L. Deshpande), on Sarojini Road in Khar, Mumbai. Later, she sold the property and moved to an apartment two buildings away, though the new highrise is still called by the same name, as she had wished. "My mother has lived her professional and personal life with tremendous dignity and grace", said Meghna Gulzar, daughter of Raakhee, in an interview. Presently, she lives a reclusive life in her farmhouse at Panvel on the outskirts of Mumbai, spending time in tending to a huge flock of animals, growing vegetables and reading books.
Bengali film | ||||
Bengali film | ||||
Assamese film | ||||
Deepa | Hindi film debut | |||
Kanchan/Kamini | ||||
Gopal's Wife | ||||
Barkha Singh | ||||
Sumita | ||||
Rekha | ||||
Parvati | Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Actress | |||
Sapna | ||||
Meena | ||||
Chanda | ||||
Shova | ||||
Rosie | ||||
Saraswati | ||||
Sarla | ||||
Reema Singh | Special appearance | |||
Chandni | Won – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress | |||
Asha Mehta | ||||
Neela | ||||
Sapna | Special appearance | |||
Gori | ||||
Shalini | Won – National Film Award, Special Souvenir | |||
Kammo | ||||
Shova | ||||
Indrani Sinha (Indu) | Won – Filmfare Award for Best Actress | |||
Pooja Khanna | Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Actress | |||
Nisha | Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Actress & for Best Supporting Actress | |||
Chameli | Bangla film | |||
Aarti Gupta | Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Actress | |||
Suman | ||||
Geeta | ||||
Kaamna | ||||
Maya | ||||
Rama Sharma | Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Actress | |||
Dr. Sudha Sen | ||||
Bengali film | ||||
Raksha Bhagat | Special appearance | |||
Shanti | ||||
Indu Gupta | ||||
Sheetal Kumar | ||||
Parvati | ||||
Vidya | Special appearance | |||
Rani Gayatri | ||||
Rajni | Bengali-Hindi bilingual | |||
Bengali-Hindi bilingual | ||||
Sharda Balraj Kohli | Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Actress | |||
Bhabhi maa | ||||
Sharda Rai Bahadur | ||||
Devi | ||||
Parvati Devi | ||||
Kavita Chaturvedi (Sakhi) | ||||
Kusum Desai | ||||
Sheetal | Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Actress | |||
Bhavna | ||||
Mrs. Arun Anand | ||||
– | ||||
Bengali film | ||||
Kavita | ||||
Aarti | ||||
Sujata Sharma | Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress | |||
Shanta | ||||
Sumitra Devi | ||||
Laxmi | ||||
Devi Choudhrain | ||||
Shobha/Dimple | ||||
Vidya | ||||
Durga Verma | ||||
Bengali film | ||||
Ganga | ||||
Sharda Pratap Singh | Won – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress | |||
Rachna | ||||
Dharam Verma | ||||
Ganga | ||||
Saraswati Devi | ||||
Bhikni/Euli | ||||
Bengali film | ||||
Mrs. Aarti Prasad | ||||
Maheshwari Devi | ||||
Nirmala Devi | ||||
Savitri | Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress | |||
Mrs. Shobha Sharma | ||||
Bengali film | ||||
Rajasthani tribal | ||||
Durga Singh | Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress | |||
Geeta | ||||
Bengali film | ||||
Rukmini | ||||
Bengali film | ||||
Dharamvir's mother | Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress | |||
Mrs. Rai | ||||
Ranimaa (Mrs. Burman) | ||||
Ganga Satyadev Singh | ||||
Gayatri Sharma | ||||
Geeta Malhotra | Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress | |||
Chief Minister Gayatri | ||||
Pratima Kapoor | ||||
Purnima | ||||
Mrs. Sharma | ||||
Ranga Pishima | National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress | |||
Bijolibaba | ||||
2025 | Aamar Boss |
2003 | Padma Shri | Contribution in the field of Arts |
1972 | Filmfare Awards | Best Actress | Aankhon Aankhon Mein | ||
1973 | Best Supporting Actress | ||||
1976 | Best Actress | Kabhi Kabhie | |||
Tapasya | |||||
1977 | Doosra Aadmi | ||||
Best Supporting Actress | |||||
1978 | Best Actress | Trishna | |||
1979 | Jurmana | ||||
1981 | Baseraa | ||||
1983 | Shakti | ||||
1985 | Best Supporting Actress | Saaheb | |||
1989 | Ram Lakhan | ||||
1994 | Anari | ||||
1996 | Karan Arjun | ||||
1998 | Border | ||||
1999 | Soldier | (2025). 9788178353722, Kalpaz Publications. ISBN 9788178353722 | |||
1974 | National Film Awards | Special Souvenir | 27 Down | ||
2003 | Best Supporting Actress | Shubho Mahurat | |||
1973 | Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards | Best Supporting Actress (Hindi) | Daag | ||
1984 | Best Actress (Hindi) | Paroma |
|
|