"It was different from the south. So I had to work
hard for the characters. It's not only the dialogues but
also the mannerisms," said the retired actress who
ruled the Hindi film firmament in the 1950s and the 1960s.
She was loved and appreciated not only for her on-screen
persona and performances but also for her flawless dancing
skills. She is grateful to have got opportunities to work
with the best in the industry.
"It has been a long journey, a very wonderful journey,
I must say. Whatever I have done in my films and after having
worked with such wonderful people, great directors and very
nice co-stars and technicians, I couldn't have asked for
anything more.
"I have worked with three superstars -- Dilip Kumar,
Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor. I have worked with all the Kumars
- Dilip Kumar, Kishor Kumar, Ashok Kumar, Manoj Kumar and
Rajendra Kumar," she said, adding with humour that
"in those times there used to be all Kumars and no
Khans!"
Some of her memorable performances were in "Devdas"
(1955), "New Delhi" (1956), "Kathputli"
(1957), "Madhumati" (1958), "Sangam"(1964),
"Leader" (1964), "Amrapali" (1966),
"Chhoti Si Mulaqat" (1967) and "Jewel Thief"
(1967).
My maximum films were with Dilip Kumar, said the actress.
"We shared a certain comfort level and enjoyed the
company since 'Devdas'."
In fact, she played Chandramukhi in director Bimal Roy's
"Devdas", but says "I haven't seen any of
the remakes of 'Devdas'."
It is believed that it was Vyjayanthimala who paved the
way for south Indian actresses in the Hindi film industry.
"I am happy that I could pave the way for other south
Indian actresses, but the person who really opened the doors
was S.S. Vasan who made 'Chandralekha' (1948).
"When it released, it took the north by storm because
by then they haven't seen that kind of lavish sets, costumes
and splendour. So Vasan was the person who opened the door
for Hindi films in the south," she said.
"Chandralekha" was reportedly made on a budget
of Rs.600,000 and was said to have been the most expensive
Tamil film of its time.
It was a conscious decision on her part to bid adieu to
showbiz after she married Dr. Chamanlal Bali, personal physician
of Raj Kapoor, and relocated to Chennai.
"I still relish those golden memories. I left the
industry once I got married to Dr. Bali in 1968. Offers
kept on pouring in, but we had decided that I wouldn't work
any more. Being a housewife is also a big profession and
it comes with a huge responsibility: so is working in the
industry. I preferred not to mix them up," said Vyjayanthimala,
who now stays in Triplicane in Chennai.
Vyjayanthimala still practises Bharatanatyam and says:
"I am still a senior Bharatanatyam performing artist.
I take part in dance festivals. There would be a number
of shows happening in the coming three months. I would be
totally engaged with that."