Pearl Padamsee (1931 – 24 April 2000) was an Indian theatre personality as a stage actress, director and producer of English language theatre in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

active in 1950s–1990s. She acted a few

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

and English language films, including '' Khatta Meetha'', '' Junoon'', ''

Baaton Baaton Mein ''Baton Baton Mein'' () is a 1979 Indian romantic comedy film, produced and directed by Basu Chatterjee. The film stars Amol Palekar and Tina Munim in leading roles. David, Pearl Padamsee, Asrani and Ranjit Choudhary appear in supporting role ...

'', '' Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love'', and '' Such a Long Journey''. She ran after-school theatre workshops for children.

Professional life and Personal vita

Padamsee was born the daughter of a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

father and an Indian Jewish mother. Her first husband's surname was Chowdhry. They had two children: a son named

Ranjit Chowdhry Ranjit Chowdhry (19 September 1955 – 15 April 2020) was an Indian character actor, known for his roles in television, movies, and theatre. He appeared in two episodes of ''The Office'', as Vikram, a telemarketer who worked with Michael, and w ...

who was an actor and a daughter named Rohini Chowdhry. The marriage ended in divorce when her children were still toddlers. Pearl became a part of a theatre group, promoting "English theatre" in

. She reproduced successful Broadway productions using local Indian talent. She directed, acted and produced for the stage, schools and organizations. She raised the money for establishing a successful rehabilitation center for drug addicts. Pearl then married

Alyque Padamsee Alyque Padamsee (5 March 1928 – 17 November 2018) was an Indian theatre personality and ad film maker. He played Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the 1982 British period film '' Gandhi''. Besides being involved in Indian theatre as an actor and produc ...

who was also active in English theatre. Shortly after her second marriage, Pearl endured the death of her 10-year-old daughter, Rohini, who died after a wasting illness. With Alyque Padamsee, Pearl had a daughter, Raell Padamsee, who runs her own theatre company in Mumbai. Pearl and Alyque were divorced very shortly after the birth of Raell. Pearl Padamsee died on 24 April 2000. She is buried at a Christian cemetery in

Bandra Bandra ( æːɳɖɾa also known as Vandre ( �aːn̪d̪ɾe is an upscale coastal suburb located in Mumbai (Bombay) area of the Konkan division, Maharashtra, India. The suburb is located to the immediate north of River Mithi, which separates B ...

References

External links

*
A night remembering 'Pearl' (25 Apr 2010)
''

The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest s ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Padamsee, Pearl 1931 births 2000 deaths 20th-century Indian actresses Actresses in Hindi cinema Indian Christians Indian film actresses Indian people of Jewish descent Indian stage actresses Indian theatre directors Indian theatre managers and producers Actresses from Mumbai Businesspeople from Mumbai Indian women theatre directors 20th-century Indian businesspeople 20th-century Indian businesswomen Jewish actresses Businesswomen from Maharashtra