The award-winning actress has played the role of a common girl in several of her films. But in reality, she belongs to a Royal family.
They call Bhagyashree a veteran now (she turns 56 today). That’s obviously the right word to describe her years of experience in showbiz. But for those of us who grew up with her, she’ll always be that 20-year-old bubbly Suman from 'Maine Pyaar Kiya' - the girl who won our hearts with her grace, her smile, and her unbelievable charm. It's been over three decades since that blockbuster, and today - a huge loss for us - she prefers to stay away from the spotlight. But her youthful spark is still there. And yes, we still get butterflies in our stomachs every time we see her. That's timelessness. That's magic.
Bhagyashree in ‘Maine Pyaar Kiya’
Born on February 23, 1969, Bhagyashree is a widely celebrated actress with several commercially successful films to her credit. However, not many know that she comes from a royal family. Today, on her birthday, let's learn about that in this article.
Bhagyashree belongs to the Marathi Royal family of Sangli, Maharashtra. She is the granddaughter of Chintamanrao Dhundirao Patwardhan, who was the last ruling Raja of the princely state of Sangli during the British rule in India. Her father, Vijay Singhrao Madhavrao Patwardhan, is the titular Raja of Sangli.
Raja Chintamanrao Dhundirao Patwardhan
(Image courtesy: X)
It's worth noting that the actress is the eldest of three daughters (her sisters are Purnima and Madhuvanti).
In several of her interviews, Bhagyashree has spoken about her royal background, revealing what her life was like as a princess. While women in her family were traditionally married off in their childhood, she had the privilege to attend a convent school and pursue a career of her own choice. As she shared in an interview with Oddnari.in, "... In our family, the women are expected to get married and have children at a particular age. But she was sent to a convent school and 'never really had to speak in chaste Hindi before 'Maine Pyaar Kiya’."
"Our haveli in Sangli is modern. But the most important structure there is the family temple. It’s deeply revered and has a huge following. During Ganpati, almost six lakh people gather there," she added.
(Credit: bhagyashree.online)
The actress spent a very happy childhood in her palace and hometown. She often used to visit her family temple and would play with her sisters and friends. Ganesh Chaturthi was her most awaited occasion of the year, during which she would take part in the procession for Ganesh Visarjan of Maharaja Vijaysingh Patwardhan of Sangli.
(Credit: bhagyashree.online)
Being a princess, she started wearing sarees at the age of thirteen. In her words, "... there was a lot of respect, a lot of decorum was maintained- how people spoke to us, how we had to speak to people, how we would dress. I don't remember after the age of 13 that I wore jeans or skirts or anything apart from a saree when I would go to Sangli."
Interestingly, Bhagyashree got to live - in her words - "dual lives" while growing up. She, along with her sisters, were brought up in Mumbai, where they led a normal life like others. But whenever she visited Sangli, it was a completely different lifestyle there.
As the actress shared in an interview with Masala, "There were do’s and don’ts. There was decorum of behavior to be followed in the way we dressed, walked, talked, sat, and met people. We couldn’t mingle with the kids there. In a lighthearted way, the advantage was that we had our own horses and elephants. To learn horse riding in Mumbai one would have to join clubs."
(Credit: bhagyashree.online)
Guess what was her first pet as a child? Well, it was an elephant.
Happy Birthday, Bhagyashree. Loads of Best Wishes.
