Koel Mallick: Interesting facts about the Barbie doll of Bengali cinema

Koel Mallick, the Barbie doll of Bengali cinema has always remained quiet when it comes to her personal life. Apart from making headlines for her acting prowess, Koel Mallick has so many aspects of her life that only a few are privileged to know. Daughter of renowned Bengali actor Ranjit Mallick, Koel made her film debut with 'Nater Guru'. With many awards in her kitty, she has been a significant part of both masala and thought-provoking movies. Here are some lesser known facts about Koel Mallick.

Being the daughter of popular actor Ranjit Mallick and Deepa Mallick, Koel belongs to the famous Mallick Bari of Bhowanipore in Kolkata. We all know her as the beautiful Koel of Tollywood. But you will be surprised to know that her birth name is Rukmini Mallick and like most Bengalee girls she has so many crazy nicknames.

Koel’s Tollywood debut was with ‘Nater Guru’ in 2003 opposite Jeet and won her first award for Best Actor in Leading Role Female award for her performance. The film saw Koel playing the role of a 23-year-old girl named Monica. After 'Nater Guru', the super hit pair worked together in as many as eleven films.

The actress made her debut on the small screen in a talk show ‘Katha O Kahini’. In 2013 Koel appeared as a celebrity judge in the Bengali version of ‘Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa' along with renowned choreographer Remo D’Souza. She has also acted in popular TV serials ‘Bojhena Se Bojhena’.

Koel won the BFJA Best Actress Awards in 2013 for her outstanding performance as Meghna Sarkar in ‘Hemlock Society’. Parambrata Chatterjee's performance in this romantic dark comedy was critically applauded, as was Koel Mallik's. The Srijit Mukherji directorial overall received as many as 21 awards.

Before they tied the knot February 2013, Koel and Nispal Singh had been in a steady relationship for 7 years but managed to keep it a secret from the glamour world. The Bengali diva has never been involved in any controversy in her career spanning 15 years.

Actors in the film industry do not quite have the reputation of being teetotallers, keeping in mind their lifestyle. However, there is one who completely steers clear of liquor. Koel has reportedly won the admiration of many for her decision to never touch alcohol. The actress admits that due credit goes to her father Ranjit Mallick.

Koel made a guest appearance in only one film, Pravat Roy’s ‘Hangover’ in 2010. The satirical comedy had Prosenjit Chatterjee and Sayantika Banerjee in lead roles. Since then, she has been choosing her films with caution. The beautiful actress now focuses on content-driven films such as ‘Cockpit’ and recently released ‘Ghare And Baire’.

Every Kangana Ranaut fan knows that the sizzling beauty made her Bollywood debut with ‘Gangster’ and went on to win the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. But how many of you know Kangana was not the first choice? Initially, Koel Mallick was approached for the film. However, the Bong beauty felt uncomfortable with the intimate scenes and rejected the offer.