Urmila Matondkar

Urmila Matondkar (Marathi: उर्मिला मातोंडकर) (born on 4 February 1974 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India) is an Indian Bollywood actress.

Matondkar, who made her screen debut as a child artist in the 1980 film Kalyug, debuted as an adult in Narasimha (1991). She established herself as a popular actress of mainstream Hindi cinema with her roles in films like Rangeela (1995), Judaai and Satya (1998), all of which earned her Filmfare nominations. These roles contributed to a change in her public persona, where she was known for her intense style and dancing skills, and was frequently featured in the Indian media as a sex symbol.

She subsequently took on several psychological roles, and has delivered a range of critically acclaimed performances. Among these included her roles as a psychopath in Kaun (film) (1999), an obsessive lover in Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya (2001), a ghost-possessed woman in Bhoot (2003), and a merciless avenger in Ek Hasina Thi (2004). For her performance in Bhoot, she won her first Filmfare Award in the Best Performer category, as well as several other awards for Best actress at a number of award ceremonies. She followed it with leading roles in art and independent films, such as Tehzeeb (2003), Pinjar (2003), Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara (2005) and Bas Ek Pal (2006).


Career
She started her career as a child artist. Perhaps the best known of her early movies is Shekhar Kapur's Masoom in 1983. She made her film debut as an adult actress with the film "Bade Ghar Ki Beti". She next starred in the fantasy film Chamatkar, along with Shahrukh Khan.

She went on to frequently collaborate with film director Ram Gopal Verma, who is known for his thrillers. Her first film with him was Antham in Telugu, which was dubbed as Drohi (Hindi) in 1992. Since then, she has starred in numerous subsequent RGV pictures, like Gaayam in Telugu and her first major hit, the 1995 musical Rangeela. She played a star-struck dancer in the film, and received her first Filmfare Best Actress Award nomination for her performance in the film. Following RGV projects were Daud (1997), Satya (1999), Kaun (1999), Mast (2000), Jungle (2000), Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya (2001), Bhoot (2003), and Ek Hasina Thi (2004).

In 1997 her film Judaai was a hit but her other releases such as Daud and Aflatoon were not as successful.Her performance earned her a Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award nomination.

In 1998, she earned critical acclaim for her performance in Satya, for which she received another Filmfare nomination. Satya was a critical and commercial success.

In 1999, she got rave reviews for her performance as a pschycopath in Kaun which was a moderate success, and saw further success with Jaanam Samjha Karo, Hum Tum Pe Marte Hain and Khoobsurat, all moderate successes at the box office.

During the 2000s, Matondkar revealed strong, dramatic and psychological features in her roles, and delivered a number of critically acclaimed performances. She won favourable reviews for her role as an obsessive lover in Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya (2001), and received various Best Villain nominations for her performance.

In 2003, she was part of several projects. She played the role of a north Indian girl in the background of the 1947 India partition in the critically acclaimed Pinjar; she played the title role in Khalid Mohammed's drama Tehzeeb, starring along Shabana Azmi; however, she was mainly noted for her performance in Bhoot, a horror movie. Matondkar enacted a ghost-possessed woman; her performance was much appreciated by critics and audiences and she won her first Filmfare Award under the Best Performer category, as well as various Best Actress awards at different award ceremonies, suce as Star Screen Awards, Zee Cine Awards and Bollywood Movie Awards. She later received the national honour Rajiv Gandhi Award for the film, as a recognition to her achievement in Bollywood. Taran Adarsh wrote of her performance, "...the film clearly belongs to Urmila Matondkar all the way. To state that she is excellent would be doing gross injustice to her work. Sequences when she is possessed are simply astounding. If this performance doesn't deserve an award, no other performance should. It beats all competition hollow."

In 2004, she got critical recognition for her performance as a merciless avenger in Ram Gopal Verma's Ek Hasina Thi, co-starring Saif Ali Khan. She played the role of a deceived woman who is jailed because of her lover, played by Khan, and later flees from prison to avenge him. Once again, Matondkar was nominated for a Filmfare for her performance in the film.

Next year in 2005, she tried her hand with another horror film, playing the title role in the film Naina, which failed. However, her performance as the caring daughter of Anupam Kher in Jahnu Barua's art film Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara was very well received, and she won her second Bollywood Movie Award for Best Actress.

Apart from holding a successful acting career, she is regarded as an outstanding dancer and has been a featured performer in many Bollywood item numbers. Her best-known item number is the Chamma Chamma sequence from the 1998 China Gate. Other hit numbers include Aaiye Aajaye from the hit film Lajja. She was signed to perform the item song in Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag, a remake of the 1975 blockbuster Sholay. She played the role originally played by Helen.

In 2007, Matondkar lent her voice for Asha Bhonsle's album Asha and Friends Vol 1, where she performed with Bhosle the duet song "Mehbooba Dilruba". In fact, throughout the 1990s – 2000s, Bhosle sang the maximum number of songs for Urmila.

In 2008, Matondkar was seen with Himesh Reshammiya in a remake of the 1980 film Karz, Karzzzz. 2008 also marked Matondkar's debut on Indian television as a host of a reality show named Waar Parriwar.

Awards
Year Award Ceremony Category Film Result
1996 Filmfare Awards Best Actress Rangeela Nominated
1998 Filmfare Awards Best Supporting Actress Judaai Nominated
1999 Filmfare Awards Best Actress Satya Nominated
2002 Filmfare Awards Best Villain Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya Nominated
Star Screen Awards Best Actress Nominated
Bollywood Movie Awards Most Sensational Actress Won
2004 Filmfare Awards Best Actress (Critics) Bhoot Won
Filmfare Awards Best Actress Nominated
Star Screen Awards Best Actress Won
Apsara Awards Best Actress Won
IIFA Awards Best Actress Nominated
Zee Cine Awards Best Actress Won
Bollywood Movie Awards Best Actress Won
Rajiv Gandhi Memorial Awards Achievement in Bollywood Won
2005 Filmfare Awards Best Actress Ek Hasina Thi Nominated
Star Screen Awards Best Actress Nominated
Zee Cine Awards Best Actress Nominated
IIFA Awards Best Actress Nominated
2006 Bollywood Movie Awards Best Actress Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara Won
Apsara Awards Best Actress Nominated
Zee Cine Awards Best Actress Nominated
2009 Stardust Awards Best Villian Karzzz Nominated

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1980 Kalyug
Zakol
1983 Masoom Pinky
1985 Sur Sangam
1987 Dacait
Zindagi
1989 Bade Ghar Ki Beti
Chanakyan Renu Malayalam film

1991 Narasimha First Adult role in Hindi
1992 Chamatkar Mala
Antam Telugu film
Drohi Bhavna
1993 Shreeman Aashiq
Gaayam Telugu film
Bedardi
1994 Kanoon
Aa Gale Lag Ja Roshni
1995 Rangeela Mili Joshi Nomination, Filmfare Best Actress Award
Thacholi Varghese Chekavar Maya Malayalam Film
Money Money Telugu film
1996 Indian Sapna Tamil film, dubbed in Hindi as Hindustani
1997 Judaai Janhvi Sahni Nomination, Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award
Mere Sapno Ki Rani
Daud Bhavani
Aflatoon
Anaganaga Oka Raju madhu Telugu film
1998 Satya Vidya Nomination, Filmfare Best Actress Award
Kudrat Mala
China Gate Item number
Chhota Chetan
1999 Jaanam Samjha Karo Chandni
Hum Tum Pe Marte Hain Radhika
Mast Mallika
Dillagi Shalini
Khoobsurat Shivani
Kaun Nameless character First Villain role
2000 Jungle Anu
Deewane Sapna
Kunwara Urmila
2001 Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya Ria Villain role.
Nomination, Filmfare Best Villain Award
Lajja Special appearance in an item number
2002 Company Special appearance in song
Om Jai Jagadish Nitu
Deewangee Sargam
2003 Bhoot Swati Winner, Filmfare Best Actress Award (critics)
Tehzeeb Tehzeeb Mirza
Pinjar Puro
2004 Ek Hasina Thi Sarika Vartak Nomination, Filmfare Best Actress Award
2005 Naina Naina
Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara Trisha
2006 Banaras Shwetamabri
Bas Ek Pal Anamika
2007 Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag Gypsy Dancer Item number
Om Shanti Om Herself Special appearance
Speed Richa
2008 Karzzzz Kaamini Released
EMI – Liya Hai Toh Chukana Parega Prerana Joshi
2009 Ab Dilli Door Nahin Paroot's Voice Completed
Animated Film
Non Stop Fun Music Teacher Completed