Biography
Geeta Bali dazed filmmaker Kidar Sharma with her spontaneity Geeta Bali started her acting career as a child actor at the age of 12 in the film Cobbler. However, it was filmmaker Kidar Sharma, who explored her talent. Kidar Sharma spotted her living in a pathetic condition and wandering to find a job to support her family. Being a trained classical dancer and having faced the camera in childhood she was neither camera shy nor was afraid as an actress. When Kidar took her screen test he was bowled over by Geeta’s spontaneity and the vigor with which she enacted her performance. Kidar Sharma immediately signed her for the film Suhaag Raat (1948) opposite actor Bharat Bhushan. When the film was released the film critics were left dazed. Her acting was a revelation! Even the audience loved her buoyancy and enthusiasm. Soon she shared screen space with the star actress of that era Suraiya as her naughty younger sister in the hit Badi Bahen (’49) and almost overshadowed Suriya with her bubbly performance. Geeta Bali had the talent to steal the thunder from the hero! Due to her inborn extrovert nature, Geeta Bali was always full of energy and enthusiasm and her same vitality could be seen on screen. As a result, she always stole the thunder from the hero! Be it the evergreen star Dev Anand. In his film Baazi, Geeta Bali had the insignificant role of a gangster’s moll. Yet it was Geeta Bali’s seductive dancing in the song `Tadbeer se big hui taqdeer bana le… that made the film buffs crazy and they thronged cinema halls repeatedly. Similarly in Bawre Nain (1950), she stunned the great actor Raj Kapoor with her captivating performance. The movie had won rave reviews, particularly for its melodious Music by Maestro Roshan but what stunned everybody was film critics having a special mention of Geeta Bali over scoring a seasoned actor Raj Kapoor! Besides this Geeta Bali had the rare honour of playing opposite legendary actor Sohrab Modi in the film Jailor (1958). In this film, her performance was worthy of even winning a National Award. Furth in the film Vachan she had a powerful role opposite upcoming actor Rajendra Kumar and the versatile Balraj Sahni, who played her love interest! This movie fetched Geeta Bali her first Best Actress Filmfare nomination. Her other hit films include Aji Bas Shukriya (1958), Anand Math and Mr. India(1961), Baaz (1953) etc.
Career & Achievements
Geeta Bali worked for a quarter of her market price in Albela and became immortal Geeta Bali in the 50’s had reached her peak. From B-grade film star to Bollywood’s top A-grade heroine. She demanded an awesome amount for a single film and was paid! It was at this stage in her career came B-grade filmmaker Bhagwan, who was known for making low-budget action films. Bhagwan approached her with the script of Albela. However unlike Bhagwan’s earlier action films; Albela was a social film depicting the tragic tale of a poor youth blessed with dancing ability. How he is made a film star from a humble cook formed the crux of the film. Geeta Bali had a pivotal role in the film. She played the key role of a top actress, who recognizes the talent of a poor youth and helps him to become a famous film star. Initially, Geeta Bali was surprised to find a B-grade filmmaker like Bhagwan approaching an A-grade heroine. But when she read the script she was confident of its success and gave her nod. She did the film for a quarter of amount than her actual market price. But her gamble paid off as the movie turned out to be a money spinner an made her immortal. Even today the songs of the movie are a hit - Shola Jo Bhadke...Bholi Soorat Dil Ke Khote....Shaam Dhale Khidki Tale………… Death The doctor could not recognize Geeta Bali when she contacted Small Pox In the 50s Small Pox was an incurable disease. During the shooting of a Punjabi film, Rano, based on the novel Ek Chadar Maili Si by Rajinder Singh Bedi, she was shooting in a small village when accidently she contacted Small Pox. She was rushed to Mumbai but her fever ceased to come down. She was burning with an acute fever of 107°F. Hence doctors put her on ice but nothing worked. The once gorgeous-looking Geeta Bali had turned pale and yellow. Recalling the tragic incident Aditya Kapoor, her son, in an interview said, “Mom had turned so weak and frail and her face had turned so feeble that when the doctor treating her saw Mom’s picture on the wall he asked, “Who is this beautiful women?”! On 21 January 1965 at the young age of 35 Geeta Bali bid adieu this world!
