Sharmila Tagore photographed at an event in Mumbai.
New Delhi:
For Sharmila Tagore, having the same lineage as Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore has been a privilege, and the actress credits her famous surname for opening several avenues for her.
Sharmila's maternal grandmother Latika Tagore was the granddaughter of Rabindranath Tagore's brother Dwijendranath Tagore.
"I don't have that much authority on Tagore but yes I have a wonderful surname. It's my heritage and it has opened many doors for me. It's a privilege to be born in such a household. Unfortunately Rabindranath Tagore died three years before I was born so I could not have any direct interaction with him. But I have heard great stories from my mother," she said.
The 70-year-old actress launched a book on the world famous literary figure titled Shades of Difference: Selected Writings of Rabindranath Tagore on November 12, which is accompanied by a DVD about Tagore and his world. It has been edited by Radha Chakravarty.
Talking about the bard's influence on her, Sharmila said that her 1960 Bengali film Devi was highly inspired by Tagore's works. (Also Read: Sharmila Tagore: Our Film Industry is Patriarchal)
The Satyajit Ray-directed film was based on a short story by Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay and Sharmila said that the theme of the movie reflected Tagore's portrayal of women and has similarities with the bard's literary offerings.
"The idea of my film Devi was inspired from Tagore's works. The theme was similar. The great thing about Tagore is that he continues to be relevant," Sharmila said.
Sharmila's maternal grandmother Latika Tagore was the granddaughter of Rabindranath Tagore's brother Dwijendranath Tagore.
"I don't have that much authority on Tagore but yes I have a wonderful surname. It's my heritage and it has opened many doors for me. It's a privilege to be born in such a household. Unfortunately Rabindranath Tagore died three years before I was born so I could not have any direct interaction with him. But I have heard great stories from my mother," she said.
The 70-year-old actress launched a book on the world famous literary figure titled Shades of Difference: Selected Writings of Rabindranath Tagore on November 12, which is accompanied by a DVD about Tagore and his world. It has been edited by Radha Chakravarty.
Talking about the bard's influence on her, Sharmila said that her 1960 Bengali film Devi was highly inspired by Tagore's works. (Also Read: Sharmila Tagore: Our Film Industry is Patriarchal)
The Satyajit Ray-directed film was based on a short story by Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay and Sharmila said that the theme of the movie reflected Tagore's portrayal of women and has similarities with the bard's literary offerings.
"The idea of my film Devi was inspired from Tagore's works. The theme was similar. The great thing about Tagore is that he continues to be relevant," Sharmila said.
