Padmini was my ideal dance GURU. I can never forget her piece inV.VALIBAN. This piece was done by two of us way back in 1970 LET HER SOUL REST IN PEACE Lalitha
The first time I saw Padmini was in 'Thillana Mohanambal' - and was absolutely entranced by her colourful & vigourous dance numbers.
It was much later when I did a retrospective of Padmini's Hindi films that I got to see her in 'Raj Tilak','Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai', 'Aashiq' and in her latter day films, 'Chanda Aur Bijli', 'Bhai Bahen' and 'Mera Naam Joker', all of which, encapsulated her range & versatility as an artiste of immense caliber.
I can never forget the rhythmic robustness that she imparted to the song - 'Bijli hoon main to bijli..' [from 'Chanda Aur Bijli'] set to a pronounced Western beat but performed to Indian steps with amazing results. No one else but Padmini could have carried off the song with such aplomb.
The last time I saw her was again in a Tamil film -'Poove Poochudava' where she gave one of her finest ever performances as an ageing matriarch.
There will never be another like Padmini - an artiste entrenched in the hallways of immortality. God bless her soul.
Though I was a kid when her last movies were released... I liked her very much after watching her movies... The movie that made her my favorite of that time is Thillana Mohanambal....
I felt like I have some bond with that respectable woman... She was the number 1 of her kind a talented actress...
Her loss can never be filled... May her soul rest in peace while her name and passion of art fly high as always....
She is not only the queen of Tamil cinema, she is the king and queen of North American Indian classical dance. All first and second generation Indian Americans are indebted to her for her pioneering role in introducing Indian classical dance in the US.
RE:Tribute to Padmini
by Naresh on Sep 28, 2006 05:22 AM
we can pay the tribute to her not only by posting messages but also by encoraging the real acting rather than the glamour in the present day cinema world....
