Rati Agnihotri had quit movies at the peak of her career and never regretted it. That's what choice is all about. She enjoyed the adoration and accolades and then decided it was time for her to step back and enjoy her family life. It only helped that she was working since she was very young and had a fulfilling career by the time she decided to call it quits. From Ek Duje Ke Liye to Coolie to Tawaif, Agnihotri has made a lot of movies and charmed everyone with it too. Rati Agnihotri Birthday Special: 5 Lesser Known Facts About The Actress That You Should Know

But Rati Agnihotri began her career with the Tamil film Pudhiya Varpukkal when she was only 16. In fact, she debuted in Bollywood with the Hindi remake of a Telugu film opposite Kamal Haasan called Ek Duje Ke Liye. Before the latter happened to her in 1981, she had almost done close to 18 regional films. Rest is of course history and today, on her birthday we will talk about five of her movies which are now termed as classics.

Ek Duje Ke Liye (1981)

A tragic love story that increased teenage suicides a rage among spurned lovers, Ek Duje Ke Liye is a bible for every romantic movie with an unhappy ending. She played a Punjabi girl in the film in love with a South Indian guy who doesn't understand Hindi much. One of the strongest female characters in a romantic movie we would say.

Shaukeen (1982)

Basu Chatterjee's movie epitomises the tharki uncle epidemic albeit comically. Three old men past their prime leching over a young girl. Agnihotri played the girl, fending off the elderlies with aplomb and without offending them, kyunki Indian culture!

Pasand Apni Pani (1983)

If you have seen Ghajini, you would where it lifted the idea from. Pasand Apni Apni follows the exact way Aamir meets Asin in Ghajini. Only here, the love story is the important bit. Rati played the character of a girl suddenly getting work just because she pretends to be a rich industrialist's fiance. She has done a fab job.

Mujhe Insaaf Chahiye (1983)

A woman takes her lover to court when he refuses to be with her after she gets pregnant...a fantastic plot and a really fantastic performance by Agnihotri made it a hard-hitting watch.

Tawaif (1985)

Agnihotri played a courtesan who pretends to be someone's wife due to circumstances. She is confident, sharp, playful and extremely lovable in this role.

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(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 10, 2020 08:40 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).