Did you know Amala Shankar has acted in just 1 Bollywood movie? Read details

Legendary actor Amala Shankar passed away at the age of 101 in Kolkata. Born in 1919, the actor was the wife of legendary choregrapher Uday Shankar, who was also her guru. In 1948, Amala Shankar starred in Uday Shankar's film Kalpana. This was her debut movie and the only film she was a part of. Here's everything you need to know about Amala Shankar's film Kalpana.

Amala Shankar's movie 'Kalpana'

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Amala Shankar's film Kalpana released in the year 1948. The dance drama film was written and directed by Amala Shankar's husband Uday Shankar. The film followed the story of a young dancer who dreams of setting up his own dance academy. The film Kalpana was also a reflection of Shankar's own academy, which he founded in Almora. Uday Shankar and Amala Shankar played the lead roles in Kalpana.

The film also starred Padmini, Usha Kiran, and Laxmi Kanta. The film Kalpana was the first film to present an Indian classical dancer as a lead role. The film was entirely a ballet and a fantasy film. The film was loved by the audience and was shown at the International Film Festival of India. Kalpana was referred to as a rare gem and a Treasure from the National Film Archive of India. Amala Shankar also walked the red carpet at Cannes for her film. 

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Kalpana was entirely based on director and actor Uday Shankar's personal experience in 1938 of opening the Uday Shankar Indian Cultural centre at Uttarakhand, Himalayas. The centre closed after four years because of financial crunches. He then moved to Madras to make the film Kalpana. Later in 1965, Uday Shankar settled down in Kolkata and opened the Uday Shankar Center for Dance. He was awarded the Sangeet Natak Academy Fellowship for lifetime contribution to Indian Dance. 

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Amala Shankar's death

Amala Shankar was married to Uday Shankar. She met him in France in 1930, where they went for an exhibition. Uday Shankar's mother Hemangi Devi requested Amala's parents to leave her with Uday's troupe who was also present there. Back then Uday Shankar had asked Amala Shankar to try out a few dance steps and when she pulled them off with grace, he was impressed and assured her that she will become a dancer.

She gave her first performance as Kaliya in Kaliya Daman in 1931 in Belgium. Years later in 2011, she was awarded the Banga Vibhushan award by the West Bengal government. She was also awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Tagore Ratna for her contribution to dance. The dancer breathed her last in Kolkata on July 24, 2020. The news was confirmed by her granddaughter Sreenanda Shankar.

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