Padmini Kolhapure, an established name in Hindi as well as Marathi films, started her career in acting in her childhood. She appeared as a child artist in movies like “Zindagi”, “Satyam Shivam Sundaram” etc. But her first official appreciation came after “Insaf Ka Tarazu”, directed by B. R. Chopra. The film was released in 1980 when Padmini was in her 20s. It was the first professional experience of an actress with B. R. Chopra, and later she associated with B. R. Films for more ventures. Insaf Ka Tarazu was a movie which gave the actress an endorsement. Padmini talked about this movie and her collaboration with B. R. Chopra in an exclusive interview with Lehren.
B. R. Chopra was a director who never restricted any actor to certain things. He always let the actor experiment with his or her role. Padmini said, “He has always given me a free-hand.” She used to call him Chopra uncle. Talking about his directional skills, she said, “Chopra uncle apne jamane mein bahot ek durdarshi director the (Chopra uncle was way ahead of his time in direction).” Prem Rog actress talked about a special characteristic of his film, that almost all his films were heroine oriented. In his movies, actresses had a strong portrayal. She further said that B. R. Chopra never emphasized box office success while making the movies. It was their own conviction of a particular subject. “He was a progressive director. He was an actress’s director, I would say”, she added.
In Insaf Ka Tarazu, Zeenat Aman and Padmini played the roles of sisters. The story was about the change in the lives of two sisters after a rape incident. Padmini received a Filmfare Award for best supporting actress. And that film got her many amazing roles ahead in her cinematic journey. After Insaf Ka Tarazu, she did “Mazdoor” and “Kirayadar” with B. R. Chopra.
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