Daughter of filmmaker, Kumarsen Samrath and actress, Shobhana Samrath, Tanuja was born to shine. Following in the footsteps of her grandmother, Rattan Bai, aunt, Nalini Jaywant, and sister, Nutan, she embarked on her acting journey as baby Tanuja in Hamari Beti. Later, she made her debut in Chhabili, directed by her mother.
Tanuja is known for her splendid performances in movies like Jewel Thief, Nai Roshni, Chand Aur Suraj, Mere Jeevan Saathi, Anubhav, Haathi Mere Saathi and many more. Talking about her personal life, Tanuja got married to filmmaker, Shomu Mukherjee in 1973 and the couple had two daughters, Kajol and Tanishaa.
Tanuja is one of those Bollywood actresses who has always been vocal about her thoughts. She never shied away from calling a spade a spade. Tanuja once had a major tiff with Bollywood's He-Man, Dharmendra, and she even slapped him. In an interview with Filmfare in 2014, Tanuja opened up about it and shared that the incident happened on the set of their film, Chand Aur Suraj.
Elaborating on it, Tanuja shared that during the shooting, Dharmendra tried to flirt with Tanuja. Irked by his advances towards her, she slapped him and called him a besharam. In her words:
“One day he (Dharmendra) tried to flirt with me. Taken aback, I slapped him and said, 'Besharam! I know your wife, and you have the audacity to flirt with me'."
Dharmendra was already a married man, and Tanuja’s slap came as an embarrassment to him. Not only did he apologise to her, Dharmendra also asked her to make him her brother. Speaking about the same, she said:
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“Embarrassed he pleaded, 'Tanu, meri maa, sorry bolta hoon. Please make me your brother'. I refused saying I was happy with my own brother (Jaideep)'. After much cajoling, I took a black thread and tied it around on his wrist.”
Tanuja and Dharmendra had striking on-screen chemistry and worked in films like Izzat (1968), Do Chor (1972), and Baharen Phir Bhi Aayengi (1966). Dharmendra and Tanuja were good friends and would often have drinks together. It was Dharmendra who introduced his first wife, Prakash Kaur, to Tanuja.
Tanuja had met late filmmaker, Shomu Mukherjee while shooting for her film, Ek Baar Muskura Do (1972). They had soon fallen in love and tied the knot in the year 1973. Soon after their marriage, Tanuja and Shomu had a lot of tiffs and clashes, due to which they decided to part ways. In an interview with The Times of India, Tanuja revealed that despite the separation, they made sure to fulfil their role as parents. In her words:
"We fell in love and tied the knot. What happened later is not important except that we are not together anymore. We agreed to disagree. The only thing I am grateful for is my two daughters Kajol and Tanishaa. Shomu and I never argued in front of them and, when they went to boarding school, we visited them as parents each month."
Did you know about Tanuja and Dharmendra’s slapgate controversy? Let us know.
Also Read: Tanuja Recalls How Her Daughter, Kajol Confessed of Being Head-Over-Heels In Love With Ajay Devgn
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