Traumatizing Stardom: Twisted legacy of Parveen Babi from glitz to grief

Who was Parveen Babi?

Parveen Babi was an Indian actress and model who lived a rebellious life with challenging norms during the early 1970s. Regarded as one of the finest actresses in Bollywood, she was a glamorous and unconventional heroine of the early 1970s and 1980s. Some of her notable movies are Majboor (1974), Deewar (1975), Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), and more.

her early life

Parveen was the only child born after fourteen years of her parents marriage in Junagadh, Gujarat, in a Muslim family on April 4, 1949. She lost her father, Vali Mohammed Khan Babi, at a very early age. She graduated with a degree in English literature and went on to become a model, after which she was discovered for Bollywood.

Breaking norms in the early 1980s

Parveen didnt care for the conventional rules and roles prescribed to women in the Bollywood industry and was often subjected to moral policing, on or off-screen. She lived a controversial existence during her time in Bollywood and was famous as the bold actress of her time.

Stardom she achieved

Alongside her roles in different commercially successful movies and critically acclaimed acting, she was a part of many blockbusters and iconic movies and starred against the megastars of the time, with the likes of Shashi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachan. She also made history by being on the cover of Times magazine.

Redifining fashion

Parveen, with her westernised personality, redefined beauty for heroines in Bollywood. Coming from a modelling background. She wore bikinis, and revealing dresses, stirring the ideal moral image of an Indian woman. Parveen Babi walked, so the likes of Deepika Padukone and Alia Bhatt could run right now.

Controversial status as an actress

Although recognized and revered as a fine actress of her time, Parveen Babi often made headlines as, she was in a dichotomy with the typical Indian womans roles. With her roles as a western woman who wouldnt shy away from drinking, smoking, and having untoward relations with them—everything that was considered taboo at that time.

Linkups in Bollywood

During her time in Bollywood, she was linked up with several male counterparts, Amitabh Bachan being one of them. She dated Kabir Bedi and Mahesh Bhatt. In the later period, she gradually became more and more aloof and took American citizenship.

Illness encapsulated life

A little after her stardom in Bollywood, she was seen less and thats when it was revealed that she was suffering from different illnesses: diabetes, osteoarthritis, and also diagnosed with a mental illness: paranoid schizophrenia. Bollywood failed her when her tragic life and condition made headlines the very next minute. She lived a reclusive life, living alone and suffering.

controversial death

After living a controversial life and being a part of gossip and headlines throughout her career in Bollywood, she challenged and broke norms, setting a stepping stone to challenging conventional traditions. Praveen Babi had a death that was also controversial. She died alone suffering from mental illness in her apartment and was found 72 hours later.

Twisted Legacy

After reaching heights of stardom and later suffering from schizophrenia, Parveen Babi lived a convoluted life with being in a state of terror and delusions of persecution complex. She died a controversial death, making her a controversy that lived and died.