Shakeela


C. Shakeela, known mononymously as Shakeela, is an Indian actress and politician who has predominantly acted in Malayalam cinema, in addition to Tamil, Telugu and Kannada language films. She is a member of Indian National Congress.
Shakeela debuted in the softcore pornographic film Playgirls at the age of 18. She became a popular figure in Kerala with the release of Malayalam softcore film Kinnara Thumbikal in 2000. This film would go on to pioneer a new wave of low-budget softcore porn films in the state, with Shakeela starring in many of them. In Kerala's hero-centric mainstream industry of her time, Shakeela's emergence as a liberated woman, who displays her sexuality in defiance of social norms led to what became known as Malayalam cinema's Shakeela tharangam.

Early life

Shakeela was born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu in a Muslim family. Her mother was from Nellore in Andhra Pradesh. She could not complete her school leaving certificate examination, eventually making her foray into films.

Career

From the beginning of her career, she acted in B movies and softcore pornography. One of her big hits was the 2000 Malayalam film Kinnarathumbikal, which brought her into limelight. Kinnarathumbikal was dubbed in more than six Indian languages and was a major commercial success, grossing ₹4 crore at the box office against a budget of ₹12 lakhs. She did a few controversial topless scenes in her initial movies until she got noticed. Her B movies were dubbed and released in almost all Indian languages. Her films were dubbed into foreign languages like Nepalese, Chinese, and Sinhala. After she acted in several movies, the soft-porn movies in India were colloquially called as "shakeela films". Shakeela hired a body double Surayya Banu to do her topless scenes.
Shakeela started appearing in family character roles in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada language movies since 2003. She wrote her autobiography in Malayalam, which covered her family, her background, as well as her acquaintance with notable film personalities, politicians and childhood friends.
In January 2018, she announced her 250th film as an actor, Sheelavathi, would begin production.

Personal life

In 2002, Shakeela announced that she will no longer act in B grade movies. Shakeela released her autobiography Shakeela: Aatmakatha in 2013.

Politics

Shakeela joined the Indian National Congress in March 2021.

Partial filmography

Shakeela has featured in over 250 in Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and Kannada language films in various roles.

Malayalam films

Other language films

YearFilmRoleLanguageNotes
1994PlaygirlsTamil
1994Jallikattu KaalaiPushpavanamTamil
1996Vasantha VaasalSunithaTamil
1998Ponnu Velayira BhoomiTamil
1998Udhavikku Varalaamaaitem numberTamil
1998MarumalarchiTamil
2001Nayeem And ShakeelaTelugu
2001SnehaTamil
2001SagaraKannada
2001AgniputhriTelugu
2002SoundharyalahariTelugu
2002Thotti GangMatasriTelugu
2002PenmanassuTelugu
2003Duppatlo Dhada DhadaTelugu
2003JayamGnana SaraswathiTelugu
2003JayamGnana SarawathiTamil
2003NijamTelugu
2003DongoduTelugu
2003DhoolHerselfTamil
2004Puttintiki Ra ChelliTelugu
2004MonalisaCollege principalKannada
2004Singara ChennaiTamil
2004LovesHerselfTamil
2005786 Khaidi PremakathaTelugu
2005Keelu GurramTelugu
2005Thaka Thimi ThaRamaTamil
2005Sorry Enaku KalyanamayidichuBabyTamil
2006ShriKannada
2006BangaramAmmukuttyTelugu
2006ThodamaleyTamil
2006VathiyarItem numberTamil
2007ViyabariMinister Dairy DevelopmentTamil
2007Azhagiya Tamil MaganShakeelaTamil
2007Pazhaniappa KallooriChechiTamil
2008Vambu SandaiTamil
2008Lakshmi PutruduTelugu
2008Paape O ParupuTelugu
2008NadigaiHerselfTamil
2008Dongala BandiTelugu
2009KempaBindu's motherKannada
2009CurrentTelugu
2009Siva Manasula SakthiSakthiTamil
2009Malai MalaiTamil
2010Boss Engira BhaskaranParimala teacherTamil
2010Maanja VeluMathangiTamil
2010VallakottaiSaleswomanTamil
2011Guru SishyanTamil
2011NinetyKannada
2012KaiTamil
2013RagalaipuramTamil
2013Ade BaajaTelugu
2014Adhu Vera Idhu VeraTamil
2015Romantic TargetTelugu
2015PatharagitthiKannada
2015Vasuvum Saravananum Onna PadichavangaAkila CheichiTamil
2015Luv U AliaKannada
2015Sakalakala VallavanHerselfTamil
2017SeviliTamil
2019PottuBiochemistry ProfessorTamil
2019Kobbari MattaPanduTelugu
2020Kanni RaasiChechiTamil
2021Engada Iruthinga Ivvalavu NaalaShakeelaTamil
2023KickAd CouncilTamil
2025Madha Gaja RajaMarriage attendeeTamil
2025Mrs & MrShakeelaTamil
2025SareeramTamil
2025Pagal KanavuTamil
2025Madharas Mafia CompanyTamil

Television

Popularity and reception

Shakeela, who rose to fame quickly, served as her movies' main character and the centre of its story. According to film industry analyst Sreedhar Pillai, Shakeela's stardom extended beyond state boundaries as well, with these films getting their own dubbed versions across the country. As a result, for thousands of that generation, their only access to Malayalam cinema was the kind that would star Shakeela. According to critic and film historian C. S. Venkiteswaran, Shakeela became known as the promiscuous Malayali woman in nearby areas like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, where words like "chechi" or "aunty" were sarcastically used to refer to them. The prejudice that these films appealed to in other states was furthered by the fact that Kerala had a distinctive sartorial culture where ladies wore a lungi and a blouse. And it added yet another depth to their fantasies about these ladies when they included yet another widely held stereotype of the missing Malayali males employed in the Gulf.
According to film director Venkiteswaran, Shakeela eventually became highest paid employee on the set, and the production of the movie was planned around her comfort. She has said in many interviews that how these production teams would trick her into acting as many as three films at once without her knowledge, flooding the market with her films. The fly-by-night studios made more money during this time, more so than the actors who played the leads in these films. According to film scholar Darshana Sreedhar Mini, during the Malayalam cinema industry's crisis in the early 2000s, Shakeela films' success became essential to the industry's existence because her presence guaranteed profit and, thus, the survival of these personnel. In 2001, more than 70% of Malayalam films were of the soft porn genre, and she appeared in many of them. Popular Malayalam films at the period focused on showing heroic masculinity and completely muted the agential role of women. Shakeela's films, in contrast, stood out because they emphasised her presence to the point where the male roles served as functional filler. In actuality, the majority of Shakeela's male co-stars were little more than "extras," with unimpressive careers. Shakeela's presence during a period of economic crisis temporarily destabilised Kerala's hero-centric mainstream business, giving rise to the Shakeela tharangam.