Born on December 11, 1965, Kimi Katkar worked in Bollywood during the late '80s and early '90s. At age 20, she made her acting debut in Patthar Dil as a supporting actress. In the same year, she starred in Adventures of Tarzan, where she played the lead opposite Hemant Birje. Thanks to the film's popularity, Kimi is best remembered as the Tarzan girl. (Photos courtesy: mid-day archives, Instagram and YouTube)
Adventures of Tarzan was much talked about in its time, mainly due to the steamy scenes between Kimi and Hemant and popular hit songs. The sequel of the movie named Tarzan Ki Beti was released in 2002. In picture: Kimi Katkar and Hemant Birje in a still from Tarzan.
Kimi Katkar went on to work in films like Vardi, Mard Ki Zubaan, Mera Lahoo, Dariya Dil, Gair Kanooni, Jaisi Karni Vaisi Bharni, Sherdil and Zulm Ki Hukumat. However, none gave her enough recognition as an actress.
Very few know the fact that the actress had changed her name from Nayantara Katkar to Kimi Katkar for the silver screen.
In the movie Hum (1991), Kimi Katkar played the lead actress opposite Amitabh Bachchan. She was cast as Jumma aka ,Jumalina Gonsalves in Hum, also starring Rajinikanth and Govinda. The song 'Jumma Chumma De De' from the film became a huge hit.
Kimi Katkar and Amitabh Bachchan in a still from 'Jumma Chumma De De' song from 'Hum'. Kimi was just 26 when she romanced a 50-year-old Big B.
However, after Hum, Kimi Katkar opted to work in lesser films. She restricted herself to dance numbers rather.
In the early 90s, Kimi Katkar soon started appearing in several song-and-dance routines in films starring mostly Govinda.
Kimi Katkar's last film was Humlaa in 1992. The actress disappeared from the showbiz, as she decided to get married.
In the mid-90s, Kimi Katkar married to photographer Shantanu Sheorey. The actress quit showbiz and moved to Melbourne, Australia after marriage. Shantanu was previously married to actress Malvika Tiwari.
Kimi Katkar and Shantanu Sheorey have a son named Siddharth, who lives with the couple in Australia.
Here's a look at some candid pictures of Kimi Katkar with her friends and family: In this picture posted by Poonam Dhillon on Instagram, Kimi Katkar is seen in a traditional avatar and looks drastically different from her younger days in Bollywood.
Kimi Katkar spotted at a food festival sans make-up. Doesnt she look unrecognisable in this picture?
Kimi Katkar is rarely seen at public events since she shifted to Australia after her marriage. In picture: Kimi Katkar and Vikrant Massey.
This photo is from Kimi Katkar's son Siddharth's 25th birthday celebration. In the picture, we see a photo of Kimi Katkar and her husband Shantanu on the cake.
Kimi Katkar was popularly known as the sex siren of Bollywood in the 90s and this sultry picture is a proof!
Kimi Katkar (second from left) with Aseem Merchant (extreme right) and other guests at an event.
Kimi Katkar is associated with the popular book Shantaram which was written by Gregory David Roberts. Roberts was an Australian fugitive, who escaped to India where he worked as an extra in films including Paanch Paapi (1989) which starred Katkar.
Here's wishing a very happy birthday to Kimi Katkar. She is truly missed on the silver-screen.
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