Sangeeta Bijlani (born 9 July 1960) is a former Indian actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder who is known for winning the title of Femina Miss India 1980. She represented India at Miss Universe 1980.Sangeeta Bijlani. movies.yahoo.com She started her acting career starring in Hindi films, playing a lead role in the film Qatil (1988) and was one of the three female leads in the film Tridev (1989).
Early life Bijlani was born on 9 July 1960 in Bombay (present Mumbai), Maharashtra, India into a Sindhi Hindu family.
Modelling and commercials Bijlani began modelling at the age of 16. She went on to do many commercials including ads of Nirma and Pond's soap. Sangeeta received her popular name "Bijli" from her modelling days.
Miss India Universe and international recognition Bijlani was crowned Miss India Universe Title in 1980. She represented India at the Miss Universe pageant in Seoul, South Korea where she won Best National Costume award designed by her mother Poonam Bijlani.
Bollywood debut and success Bijlani made her Bollywood debut in 1988 with Qatil, opposite Aditya Pancholi and then went on to act in Tridev, Hathyar, Jurm, Yodha, Yugandhar, Izzat and Lakshman Rekha. She did a bilingual in Hindi and Kannada opposite Vishnu Vardhan. She was nominated by the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress category for Jurm opposite Vinod Khanna and was directed by Mahesh Bhatt and scripted by Salim Khan. She has also worked with Mahesh Bhatt, Mukul Anand, J.P. Dutta, Rahul Rawail and N. Chandra.
Television career Bijlani made her small-screen debut with Chandni - "a tale of power, revenge and love" in early 1996 opposite actor Shahbaz Khan. She also went on to produce Hasna Mat, with Kader Khan on Star Plus and Kinarey Milte Nahi on Zee TV.
Year Series Role Network NotesRef 2021Super Dancer Guest Sony Entertainment Television With Jackie Shroff
Personal life Bijlani and Salman Khan started dating each other in 1986 when they were still modelling and their relationship ended as Khan was caught cheating. Years later, the duo reconciled during Khan's 57th birthday.
On 14 November 1996, Bijlani married cricketer Mohammed Azharuddin in Mumbai. The marriage ended in divorce in 2010.
Filmography Year Film Role Notes 1988 Qatil Kiran Mathur 1989 Hathyar Jenny 1989 Tridev Natasha Tejani 1990 Jai Shiv ShankarUnreleased 1990 Gunahon Ka Devta Bhinde's sister 1990 Hatim Tai Gulnar Pari, Husna Pari 1990 Jurm Geeta Sarabhai 1990 Paap Ki Kamaee 1991 Yodha Vidya Agnihotri 1991 Police Matthu DadaSangeetaBilingual film 1991 Inspector Dhanush 1991 Dhun Unreleased film 1991 Numbri Aadmi Sangeeta Rana 1991 Vishnu-Devaa Sangeeta Samppat 1991 Khoon Ka KarzSagarika D. Mehta 1991 Gunehgar KaunNisha 1991 Izzat Surya 1991 Shiv Ram 1991 Lakshmanrekha Beenu 1993 Yugandhar 1993 Tahqiqaat Roopa 1993 Game Advocate Shraddha 1996 Nirbhay Radha 1997Jagannath 1997ABCD Final film
Television commercial 1984: Popular TV commercial Vicco Turmeric ayurvedic skin cream
In popular culture A 2016 Bollywood film Azhar, directed by Tony D'Souza, was based on her life and depicts her relationship with her ex-husband and Indian cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin. Bijlani's character was played by Nargis Fakhri in the film. According to media reports, Bijlani was not happy with her portrayal in the film as she was called the "house breaker" and further planned to sue the filmmakers. However, Emran Hashmi the lead actor in the film slammed the media reports that Bijlani is unhappy with her character.
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