Sharmila Tagore is an Indian film actress who has received three National Film Awards and two Filmfare Awards for her performances. But acting is not her only passion. She has been actively involved in social work in the country as well as across the border.
A distant relative of Rabindranath Tagore, she, along with her daughter Soha Ali Khan, have given keynote addresses at the CRY Gala in New York for the campaign “Pledge 2016”, raising $43000 for the benefit of children all over the world.
Sharmila is passionately involved in events organised by CanSupport, a non-profit organisation which funds the treatment of cancer patients, having taken part in marathons and walkathons to raise funds for the disease.
In 2005, she was selected as the Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF India. Over the last one decade she has helped in spreading awareness about HIV/AIDS with key focus on the disease’s impact on children. In 2013, she was awarded Padma Bhushan by the Government of India.
Having started her career way back in 1957, she has worked in more than 100 Hindi and Bengali films and was chosen to lead the Indian Censor Board from 2004-2011. She was one of the International Competition’s Jury Members at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.
