Actor Vyjayanthimala Bali in good health; stop spreading fake news, says family

CHENNAI: The family and friends of legendary actor-dancer Vyjayanthimala Bali on Friday refuted reports circulating on social media about her health and said she was doing fine.

"Dr Vyjayanthimala Bali is in good health, and any news that says otherwise is false. Before sharing, please validate the news source. Please stop spreading baseless rumours. We are better than this," wrote Chennai-based Carnatic musician Girijashankar Sundaresan in his Instagram story on Friday.

The story was shared by Nandini Bali, who is married to Vyjayanthimala's only son, Suchindra Bali.

Incidentally, Sundaresan had posted a video on January 18 of the actor performing the Carnatic composition 'Daasiganunta' in raga Abheri, sung by him. He mentioned in his post that the performance took place at Kala Pradarshini in Chennai.

Vyjayanthimala made her debut with the Tamil film 'Vaazhkai' in 1949 and went on to star in a series of Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi films.

She gained widespread recognition for her portrayal of Chandramukhi in Bimal Roy’s 'Devdas' (1955), a performance that earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. However, she allegedly refused the award, insisting she was not a "supporting actress".

Her success in 'Devdas' paved the way for more Hindi films alongside the leading heroes of the time, bringing her immense fame and stardom.

At the peak of her career, Vyjayanthimala retired from acting after marrying Dr Chamanlal Bali, actor Raj Kapoor’s family physician.

She later joined the Indian National Congress in 1984 but resigned in 1999, and in the same year, joined the BJP.

Vyjayanthimala, who was awarded the Padma Shri in 1968, was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan in 2024.