It is a terrible loss of an invaluable diamond in the necklace adorning the Goddess of dance-especially Bharatha Natyam with the demise of the versatile dancer and cine actress Padmini to whom the Tamil and Hindi film indusrties owe a lot Endowed with extraordinary charisma,the second sibbling in the Travancore sisters was a light of the lights during her hay days and her role in the Rajkapoors's box office hit"Jis Desh me Ganga Bahati Hai"is still a cherishable memory in the hearts of the audience.Though acted in very few Telugu films, she played her role as "Sita" in the old "Sampoorna Ramayanam'very impressively stealing the hearts of Telugu Cine goers also.May her soul rest in peace.
The first time I saw Padmini was in 'Thillana Mohanambal' - a film that was illumined 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 'Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai', 'Aashiq', 'Amardeep' and much later 'Chanda Aur Bijli', 'Bhai Bahen', 'Aurat' and 'Mera Naam Joker', which encapsulated her range & versatility as an artiste of immense caliber.
What stood out in all her films was the level of sincerity & dedication that laced her performances. 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 astonishing results. No one else but Padmini could have carried off the song with such aplomb. The song was very much the talk of the town in those days.
The last time I saw her was again in a Tamil film -'Poove Poochudava' where she gave one of her finest performances as an ageing matriarch.
There will never be another like Padmini - an artiste entrenched in the hallways of immortality. God bless her soul.
It is unfortunate that only a month back She told in a press meet in US, that she gets offers in Madras. and she who was fine actress and best dancer. She was example for professional dancers and Deserves Natya Peroli
