Gina Lollobrigida, the Italian film legend, died recently in Rome at the age of 95. Born in 1927 in Italy, her success story began when she stood third in The Miss Italy beauty pageant in 1947. Her enviably curvaceous physique was her main trademark, which landed her small parts in Italian movies.

‘Lollo’, lovingly nicknamed by Italians, shot to fame with John Huston’s Beat the Devil in 1953. Her acting was appreciated in the movie, which had Humphrey Bogart and Jennifer Jones in the lead. The same year, Gina Lollobrigida starred in Bread, Love and Dreams, for which she won a Bafta award for Best Actress in a Foreign Film.

Considered an international sex symbol throughout the 1950s and the ‘60s, she starred with Frank Sinatra (Never So Few), Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis (Trapeze), Anthony Quinn (The Hunchback of Notre Dame), Yul Brynner (Solomon and Sheba), Sean Connery (Woman of Straw) and Rock Hudson (Come September) in non-Italian movies.

She was dubbed ‘the most beautiful woman in the world’, and Humphrey Bogart once claimed Lollo made “Marilyn Monroe look like Shirley Temple.” However, she was not new to comparisons. Sophia Loren, one of the ‘other’ most sought actresses from Italy, rivalled her till death.

Gina Lollobrigida, who passed away last month, will always remain the epitome of Italian post-war cinema, who achieved international stardom and entertained generations with her work

Gina Lollobrigida appeared on the cover of Time magazine in 1954, while Sophia appeared on the cover in the ‘60s. A model-turned-actress like Lollo, Sophia Loren was married to a producer but, unlike her, Sophia got films in bulk. The Italian beauty was not the only one who irked Lollo; two Indian beauties from India also crossed her path, for all the wrong reasons.

It was January 1976 and upcoming Indian actress Parveen Babi was accompanying fellow actor Kabir Bedi to Italy. Parveen appeared on the cover of Time magazine in July that year. Kabir, however, had just shot to prominence after playing the title role in the Italian TV series Sandokan. The adulation he received restricted Parveen Babi to a mere spectator, and she was not amused.

Not used to playing second fiddle, she resented Kabir getting all the attention. The drama finally unfolded at a private dinner, thrown by none other than Gina Lollobrigida. At an exclusive restaurant in Rome, ‘Lollo’ took Kabir for a dance. Unaware of the wit Parveen possessed, she inquired about Parveen and her presence in Italy, completely ignoring her stature.

Parveen replied that she liked to accompany her man because she had a man, being quite aware that Lollo was a divorcee. Parveen then stormed out of the restaurant, taking her ‘man’ along, without having dinner.

The other incident occurred with Zeenat Aman, another Gina Lollobrigida in her own right. Lollo was signed by director Krishna Shah for the first Indian-American co-production, Shalimar. Lollo was brought to India for the mahurat, which was held on April 7, 1977.

Unaware of the star system in Bollywood, the producer planned a surprise ‘entry’ for Lollo. Envisioning fellow Indian actors to wait with folded hands, no one cooperated with the poor chap. Lollo came out after wasting two hours, unaware of Zeenat’s arrival. The media momentarily went crazy at Lollo’s arrival, and when Lollo was close to her moment of the night, Zeenat Aman entered the scene.

In a more revealing dress than Lollo, the 20-something actress stole whatever thunder was left in the Italian superstar. Lollo was reduced to a mere clapper-girl, at which she went berserk. The next day, she threatened to walk out of the project and was eventually replaced by Academy Award nominee Sylvia Miles.

Despite its international cast comprising John Saxon and Rex Harrison, Shalimar bombed at the box-office. These days, it’s only known for the song Hum bewafa hargiz na thay, and the chemistry between its lead pair, Dharamendra and Zeenat Aman.

Lollo returned to India later and is remembered from her sensational appearance at the 1978 International Film Festival of India. Her flirty exchanges with Kabir Bedi were splashed across magazines as well, who had just separated from Parveen Babi.

Famous for getting an exclusive interview with Cuban leader Fidel Castro in 1974, Lollo was also an accomplished photographer, as well as a sculptor. High-profile figures such as actors Paul Newman, Audrey Hepburn, and politician Henry Kissinger were her subjects. She even tried her hand at politics, but failed.

Gina Lollobrigida will always remain the epitome of Italian post-war cinema, who achieved international stardom and entertained generations with her work.

Published in Dawn, ICON, February 5th, 2023