Iconic actress leaving bright mark in film industry

By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

Leyla Badirbayli left a bright mark on the history of Azerbaijani theatrical art.

Her charm and artistic abilities brought to life many female characters from playwrights and world literature classics.

The famous actress is considered a symbol of beauty in the country. She was dubbed the "Azerbaijani beauty".

Since a very young age, Leyla Badirbayli enjoyed dance lessons at an all-girls club where she showed her brilliant dancing and artistic skills. Her sincere love for dance art led her to the Muslim Magomayev Philharmonic Hall.

In 1936, the future actress became a soloist of the Philharmonic's Song and Dance Ensemble.

Leyla Badirbayli debuted in the film industry when she was only 10. She played an episodic role of a pioneer girl in Dziga Vertov's documentary "Three Songs about Lenin".

A year later, Azerbaijan's first female filmmaker Gamar Salamzade invited Leyla to the film "Mischievous children".

Iconic role in musical comedy

In 1945, Badirbayli played the role of Gulchohra in the musical film  "The Cloth Peddler" based on Uzeyir Hajibayli's operetta. The iconic role brought the actress big fame.

"The Cloth Peddler" tells the love story of young Asgar, who wants to get married. He is a rich, successful businessman and has everything he could wish for except for one thing - a lovely wife. However, some old-fashioned traditions do not allow him to choose his own bride.

The film has been shown in 136 countries and translated into 86 languages. Furthermore, the motion picture was re-mastered and colorized in 2013 in Los Angeles at the expense of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.

The duet of Rashid Behbudov with beautiful Leyla Badirbayli made "The Cloth Peddler"  even more spectacular.

The film broke the record in the number of viewers in almost 50 countries.

Leyla Badirbayli also played memorable roles in such films as "Fatali khan", "Meeting", "Shadows are crawling", "Her great heart", "Koroghlu", "Indomitable Kura", "Sevil", "Boys of our street", "One fine day", "Dervish is blowing up Paris", etc.

The outstanding actress passed away on November 23, 1999. She was buried in the  Alley of Honor.

By the presidential order, the actress's centenary was widely celebrated in Azerbaijan in 2020.

The wonderful actress's memory will live on in the hearts of the people forever.