Shakeela

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For the 2020 Indian biographic film about the subject, see Shakeela (film).
For other uses, see Shakila (disambiguation).

Shakeela
Born
Shakeela Begum

Madras, Tamil Nadu, India
Other namesShakila
Occupations
  • Actress
  • Politician
  • Softcore pornographic actress
Years active1994–present
Political partyIndian National Congress

C. Shakeela, known mononymously as Shakeela, is an Indian actress and politician who has predominantly acted in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu language films. She is a member of Indian National Congress.[1]

Shakeela debuted in the softcore pornographic film Playgirls (1995) at the age of 18.[2][3] She became a popular figure in Kerala with the release of Malayalam softcore film Kinnara Thumbikal in 2000. This film would go on to pioneer a new wave of low-budget softcore porn films in the state, with Shakeela starring in many of them. In Kerala's hero-centric mainstream industry of her time, Shakeela's emergence as a liberated woman, who displays her sexuality in defiance of social norms led to what was known as Shakeela tharangam (the wave of Shakeela).[4]

Early life[edit]

Shakeela was born in chennai into Urdu and Telugu speaking Muslim family. Her mother was from Nellore in Andhra Pradesh.[5] She could not complete her school leaving certificate examination, eventually making her foray into films.[5]

Career[edit]

From the beginning of her career, she acted in B movies and softcore pornography.[6] One of her big hits was the 2001 Malayalam film Kinnarathumbikal, which brought her into limelight. Kinnarathumbikal was dubbed in more than six Indian languages and was a major commercial success, grossing ₹4 crore at the box office against a budget of ₹12 lakhs. She did a few controversial topless scenes in her initial movies until she got noticed.[2][3] Her B movies were dubbed and released in almost all Indian languages. Her films were dubbed into foreign languages like Nepalese, Chinese, and Sinhala. After she acted in several movies, the soft-porn movies in India were colloquially called as "shakeela films".[7] Shakeela hired a body double Surayya Banu to do her topless scenes.[8][9]

Shakeela started appearing in family character roles in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada language movies since 2003. She wrote her autobiography in Malayalam,[10] which covered her family, her background, as well as her acquaintance with notable film personalities, politicians and childhood friends.[11][12]

In January 2018, she announced her 250th film as an actor, Sheelavathi, would begin production.[13][14]

Personal life[edit]

In 2002, Shakeela announced that she will no longer act in B grade movies.[5] Shakeela released her autobiography Shakeela: Aatmakatha in 2013.[8][15]

Politics[edit]

Shakeela joined the Indian National Congress in March 2021.[16][17]

Filmography[edit]

As an actress[edit]

Shakeela has featured in over 250 in Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Odia and Telugu Language films in various roles.

Year Film Role Language
1994 Playgirls Tamil
1994 Jallikattu Kaalai Tamil
1997 Sobhanam Malayalam
1998 Ponnu Velayira Bhoomi Tamil
1998 Udhavikku Varalaamaa Tamil
1998 Marumalarchi Tamil
1998 Kulirkaattu Malayalam
1999 Captain Malayalam
2000 Raakkilikal Malayalam
2000 Thankathoni Malayalam
2000 Nishasurabhikal Malayalam
2000 Kaathara Malayalam
2000 Manjukaalappakshi Malayalam
2000 Neela Thadakathile Nizhal Pakshikal Malayalam
2000 Kinnara Thumbikal Malayalam
2001 Koumaram Malayalam
2001 Agrahaaram Malayalam
2001 Yaamini Malayalam
2001 Vezhambal Malayalam
2001 Pranayaaksharangal Malayalam
2001 Naalam Simham Malayalam
2001 Laya Thalangal Malayalam
2001 Kaadambari Malayalam
2001 Agnipushpam Malayalam
2001 Naalaam Simham Malayalam
2001 Driving School Malayalam
2001 Ee Raavil Malayalam
2001 Kinnaaram Chollicholli Malayalam
2001 Nimishangal Malayalam
2001 Maami Malayalam
2001 Romance Malayalam
2001 Kalluvaathukkal Kathreena Malayalam
2001 Premaagni Malayalam
2001 Chaarasundari Malayalam
2001 Mohanayanangal Malayalam
2001 Laasyam Malayalam
2001 Swargavaathil Malayalam
2001 Aalilathoni Malayalam
2001 Nayeem And Shakeela Telugu
2001 Sneha Tamil
2001 Sagara Kannada
2001 Agniputhri Telugu
2002 Soundharyalahari Telugu
2002 Thotti Gang Telugu
2002 Sneha Malayalam
2002 Soundarya Lahari Malayalam
2002 Pushpasharam Malayalam
2002 Randu Penkuttikal Malayalam
2002 Niramulla Swapnangal Malayalam
2002 Eden Thottam Malayalam
2002 Aalinganam Malayalam
2002 Uff Yeh Jawani Malayalam
2002 Sisiram Malayalam
2002 Mohaswapnam Malayalam
2002 Pranaya Shalabhangal Malayalam
2002 Miss Suvarna Malayalam
2002 Namukkoru Koodaram Malayalam
2002 Thirunelliyile Penkutty Malayalam
2002 Penmanassu Telugu
2003 Duppatlo Dhada Dhada Telugu
2003 Jayam Telugu
2003 Ananthapuram Raajakumaari Malayalam
2003 Veendum Thulabharam Malayalam
2003 Jayam Tamil
2003 Nijam Telugu
2003 Dongodu Telugu
2003 Dhool Tamil
2004 Puttintiki Ra Chelli Telugu
2004 Sandra Malayalam
2004 Loves Tamil
2005 786 Khaidi Premakatha Telugu[18]
2005 Keelu Gurram Telugu
2005 Thaka Thimi Tha Tamil
2006 Bangaram Telugu
2006 Thodamaley Tamil
2006 Vathiyar Tamil
2006 Vaseegara Tamil
2007 Chotta Mumbai Malayalam
2007 Viyabari Tamil
2007 Azhagiya Tamil Magan Tamil
2007 Pazhaniappa Kalloori Tamil
2008 Vambu Sandai Tamil
2008 Lakshmi Putrudu Telugu
2008 Paape O Parupu Telugu
2008 Dongala Bandi Telugu
2009 Current Telugu
2009 Siva Manasula Sakthi Tamil
2009 Malai Malai Tamil
2010 Boss Engira Bhaskaran Tamil
2010 Maanja Velu Tamil
2010 Vallakottai Tamil
2011 Guru Sishyan Tamil
2011 Teja Bhai & Family Malayalam
2011 Ninety Kannada
2012 Iniyum Oru Janmam Malayalam
2012 Kai Tamil
2013 Neelakurinji Poothu Malayalam
2013 Ragalaipuram Tamil
2013 Ade Baaja Telugu
2014 Adhu Vera Idhu Vera Tamil
2015 Six Malayalam
2015 Romantic Target Telugu
2015 Patharagitthi Kannada
2015 Vasuvum Saravananum Onna Padichavanga Tamil
2015 Luv U Alia Kannada
2015 Sakalakala Vallavan Tamil
2017 Sevili Tamil
2019 Pottu Tamil
2019 Kobbari Matta Telugu
2020 Kanni Raasi Tamil
2021 Engada Iruthinga Ivvalavu Naala Tamil
2023 Kick Tamil

Television[edit]

Year Title Channel Language Role Notes
2014 Bigg Boss Kannada (season 2) Star Suvarna Kannada Contestant Evicted Day 27
2016 Health Education YouTube Tamil Host Telecasted on Interactive TV Channel
2016 Comedy Super Nights 2 Flowers TV Malayalam Herself as Guest Episode 5
2018 Adhu Idhu Yedhu Star Vijay Tamil Participant
2019 Comedy Stars Asianet Malayalam Herself as Guest
2019 Janakeeya Kodathi 24 News Malayalam Guest speaker
2020 Funny Nights with Pearle Maaney Zee Keralam Malayalam Herself as guest
2020-2021 Cooku With Comali (Season 2) Star Vijay Tamil Contestant 1st Runner-Up
2021 Alitho Saradaga[19] ETV Telugu Herself as Guest Episode 211
2021 Start Music (Season 2) Star Vijay Tamil Contestant Winner
2021 Kanni Theevu Ullasa Ulagam 2.0 Colours Tamil Tamil Raja Mata
2021 Singapenney Star Vijay Tamil Participant
2021 Cash E TV Telugu Participant
2023–present Surabhiyum Suhasiniyum Flowers TV Malayalam Urmila TV serial
2023 Flowers Oru Kodi Flowers TV Malayalam Participant Gameshow[citation needed]
2023 Star magic Flowers TV Malayalam Mentor Gameshow
2023 Bigg Boss (Telugu season 7) Star Maa Telugu Contestant Evicted Day 14


Popularity and reception[edit]

Shakeela, who rose to fame quickly, served as her movies' main character and the centre of its story. According to film industry analyst Sreedhar Pillai, Shakeela's stardom extended beyond state boundaries as well, with these films getting their own dubbed versions across the country. As a result, for thousands of that generation, their only access to Malayalam cinema was the kind that would star Shakeela. According to critic and film historian C. S. Venkiteswaran, Shakeela became known as the promiscuous Malayali woman in nearby areas like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, where words like "chechi" or "aunty" were sarcastically used to refer to them. The prejudice that these films appealed to in other states was furthered by the fact that Kerala had a distinctive sartorial culture where ladies wore a lungi and a blouse. And it added yet another depth to their fantasies about these ladies when they included yet another widely held stereotype of the missing Malayali males employed in the Gulf.[20]

According to film director Venkiteswaran, Shakeela eventually became highest paid employee on the set, and the production of the movie was planned around her comfort. She has said in many interviews that how these production teams would trick her into acting as many as three films at once without her knowledge, flooding the market with her films. The fly-by-night studios made more money during this time, more so than the actors who played the leads in these films. According to film scholar Darshana Sreedhar Mini, during the Malayalam cinema industry's crisis in the early 2000s, Shakeela films' success became essential to the industry's existence because her presence guaranteed profit and, thus, the survival of these personnel.[21] In 2001, more than 70% of Malayalam films were of the soft porn genre, and she appeared in many of them. Popular Malayalam films at the period focused on showing heroic masculinity and completely muted the agential role of women. Shakeela's films, in contrast, stood out because they emphasised her presence to the point where the male roles served as functional filler. In actuality, the majority of Shakeela's male co-stars were little more than "extras," with unimpressive careers. Shakeela's presence during a period of economic crisis temporarily destabilised Kerala's hero-centric mainstream business, giving rise to the Shakeela tharangam (wave of Shakeela).[22]

In popular culture[edit]

Indrajit Lankesh directed her biopic Shakeela (2020) based on her life in which Richa Chadda portrays the title character.[23][24] On 22 September 2023, a 5 minute sketch featuring Shakeela was released by Netflix on YouTube to promote the concluding season of their series Sex Education, among the Malayali audience. The sketch titled "'Shakeela's driving school" was also a reminiscent of her successful film Driving School.[25]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Methil Renuka (29 December 2020). "From the archives: Who is Shakeela Khan?". India Today.
  2. ^ a b "Outlook". Outlook Publishing. 22 December 2008 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b "The soft porn queen of India Shakeela decides to tell her life story – many bombshells worried what she may reveal!". India Daily. 8 June 2005. Archived from the original on 13 June 2006. Retrieved 13 June 2006.
  4. ^ Mini, Darshana Sreedhar (1 April 2019). "The Rise of Soft Porn in Malayalam Cinema and the Precarious Stardom of Shakeela". Feminist Media Histories. 5 (2): 49–82. doi:10.1525/fmh.2019.5.2.49.
  5. ^ a b c "സിനിമാ അഭിനയവും വിവാദങ്ങൾ നിറഞ്ഞ ജീവിതവും". 24 News Live. YouTube. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  6. ^ Nathan, Archana. "After turning softcore films into hits, Southern actress Shakeela gets a biopic of her own". Scroll.in.
  7. ^ "Smut glut". The Hindu. 8 August 2002. Archived from the original on 1 October 2004.
  8. ^ a b "Shakeela, the woman who inspired genres without ever doing porn". 9 August 2015.
  9. ^ "What's common among a tea seller, sex worker, thief and more?". dailyo.in.
  10. ^ "A Soft Porn Star's Life". 11 February 2014.
  11. ^ "Providing a political platform". The Hindu. 13 January 2003. Archived from the original on 19 January 2005.
  12. ^ "Promises and lies". The Hindu. 26 May 2003. Archived from the original on 1 August 2003.
  13. ^ "Why can't a Shakeela film be called 'Sheelavathi' ?". The Times of India.
  14. ^ Actress Shakeela's 250th movie titled Seelavathi – Virgin Archived 14 February 2020 at the Wayback Machine AP News Corner. 28 January 2018
  15. ^ "Shakeela Athmakatha".
  16. ^ "Shakeela Joins Congress in Kerala". thehansindia.com. 28 March 2021.
  17. ^ "Yesteryear actress Shakeela joins Congress". OnManorama.
  18. ^ Jeevi (4 February 2005). "Movie review - 786 (Khaidi Premakatha)". Idlebrain.com. Archived from the original on 17 January 2022. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  19. ^ "Alitho Saradaga: సావిత్రి అన్నీ పుణ్యాలే చేస్తే అలా ఎందుకు పోయింది.. ఆత్మకథలో అబద్ధాలు చెప్పాలా? షకీలా సంచలన కామెంట్స్". Samayam Telugu (in Telugu). Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  20. ^ Menon, Vishal (16 May 2020). "Shakeela, Superstardom And A Softporn Wave That Threatened The Survival Of Malayalam Cinema". www.filmcompanion.in. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  21. ^ Shilpa (31 July 2019). "Malayalam Cinema's Other: Soft-porn and the Stardom of Shakeela". Ala / അല. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  22. ^ Mini, Darshana Sreedhar (2016). "The Spectral Duration of Malayalam Soft-porn: Disappearance, Desire, and Haunting". BioScope: South Asian Screen Studies. 7 (2): 127–150. doi:10.1177/0974927616667971. ISSN 0974-9276.
  23. ^ "Shakeela lauds her biopic that stars Richa Chadha". The Times of India. 31 December 2020.
  24. ^ "Richa Chadha's 'Shakeela' to release theatrically on Christmas". The Hindu. 30 November 2020.
  25. ^ Staff, T. N. M. (5 September 2023). "Shakeela offers sex ed tips while promoting Netflix's popular show Sex Education". The News Minute. Retrieved 23 September 2023.

External links[edit]

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