There are films that are not erased from memory for a long time after watching them. What keeps these films alive in memories is, of course, their captivating plotline and the actors' performances.
The Modern.az website continues its section on films that audiences watch with interest and that leave a lasting impression on their memories.
In our section titled “The Unforgettable Hero of a Famous Film,” we provide brief information about the memorable characters from interesting films and present their past and present appearances with photographs.
The film "The Most Important Interview," screened based on the work of the late People's Writer Maqsud Ibrahimbeyov, has been watched with great affection by a wide audience for many years. The main character of this film, screened by director Eldar Guliyev in 1971, is Zaur, a radio journalist. Throughout the plot, he searches for the answer to the question "What is the meaning of life, and what have I done for people?" but struggles to find it, as life's complex contradictions confuse him.
Our discussion of the film "The Most Important Interview" is not coincidental. The People's Artist Haji Murad Yegizarov, who played the main character Zaur in the film, passed away recently – on September 13. He was one of Azerbaijan's charismatic theater and film actors.
The character of Saida, the film's other main protagonist, has also likely etched itself into the audience's memory. Many know that the actress who portrayed this character was not Azerbaijani. We are talking about the Russian actress Ariadna Shengelaya. So, how was she invited to the film "The Most Important Interview," and is Ariadna Shengelaya still alive today?
From the memoirs of Vagif Asadullayev, who worked as the film's assistant director: “The selection of actors was made by Eldar Guliyev (director), Yusif Samadoglu (author of the film's idea), Rasim Ojagov (director of photography), and Maqsud Ibrahimbeyov (screenwriter). The selection was agreed upon with the prominent artist Adil Isgandarov (director of the “Azerbaijanfilm” film studio), then presented to the Artistic Council and approved.
Since 90 percent of the film's success depended on the cast, special attention was paid to their selection. As I worked as the first assistant director on the film, Eldar Guliyev instructed me to go to Moscow and show the script to the young actress (later People's Artist of Georgia and Russia) Ariadna Shengelaya (for the role of Saida). We had chosen her after watching the film “The Garnet Bracelet,” directed by the famous Soviet film director Abram Room. The actress had played the role of Princess Vera Sheina in that film. Shengelaya is a very beautiful, talented actress, as well as a polite and cultured lady. Since I mainly dealt with organizational matters, I also handled her filming arrangements. She always came prepared for filming and had no conflicts with the director or the cinematographer.
Overall, Shengelaya's selection for this role was one of the film's successes. Many famous Azerbaijani actors, including People's Artists Mammadrza Sheykhzamanov, Rza Tahmasib, Firangiz Sharifova, Kamal Khudaverdiyev, and others, starred in the film. Ariadna Shengelaya's participation in the film further enriched and completed the ideological content of the screen work.”
Ariadna Shengelaya was once very famous as a Soviet film star. The unusual ancient Greek name Ariadna, given to her by her parents, carries the meaning of aristocratic beauty. Each new role of A. Shengelaya, who began acting in films from the mid-last century, revealed unexpected facets of her talent. Several classics of Soviet cinema invited the delicate actress to star in their films.
After 2000, Ariadna Shengelaya stopped acting in films and TV series. She remained in the audience's memory as an aristocratic lady from high society. Now 88 years old, Ms. Ariadna lives surrounded by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Ariadna Shengelaya was born in Tashkent in 1937 to the family of Anna Pavlovna Lyubimova and Vsevolod Eduardovich Sprint. Her parents were Muscovites. Her mother, Anna Pavlovna Lyubimova, was Russian. As for her father, Vsevolod Eduardovich Sprint, he was of German descent. His ancestors had come from Germany during the time of Peter I. In the second half of the 1930s, during the Stalinist repressions, Vsevolod Eduardovich took his family to Uzbekistan. In 1937, when Sprint returned to the Soviet capital with his wife and infant daughter, he was arrested. Ariadna's father was labeled a “German spy” and exiled to a prison in Magadan, where he served a long sentence in that camp. Vsevolod Eduardovich was only acquitted in the mid-1950s.
After her father was released, the future actress attended high school in Moscow, then became a student. Later, her acting career began.
The young actress's film debut occurred while she was studying at the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography. In 1957, Ariadna played Irina Ledneva in "Ekaterina Voronina."
In 1958, fortune smiled upon the young actress. Roman Tikhomirov invited her to play the role of Tatyana Larina in the film “Eugene Onegin,” based on Pushkin's famous poem. The actress, who became famous in this screen adaptation, was awarded the first prize at the Moscow Film Festival. Later, she went to the Kyiv Film Festival and won the grand prize there.
Starting from the 1960s, the actress began working at "Georgianfilm." And she starred in new films...
Her role repertoire included many majestic young ladies. Ariadna's delicate, aristocratic beauty captivated Soviet film directors. Shengelaya excelled in such roles. In 1965, readers of “Soviet Screen” magazine awarded her the title of “Best Actress.” Ariadna had reached the peak of her popularity during that period.
In the late 1970s, Ariadna Vsevolodovna became a People's Artist of the Georgian SSR and, a year later, found work at the Gorky Film Studio in Moscow. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Shengelaya rarely appeared in new films.
At the beginning of the new millennium, Shengelaya was awarded the title of People's Artist of the Russian Federation. She played her last role in a film in 2002.
Ariadna Vsevolodovna taught stage speech and acting at the Theater Institute for many years.
The first major changes in the actress's personal life occurred when she was a second-year student. At that time, she married Eldar Shengelaya, a student studying directing and of Georgian descent.
In 1958, their first daughter, Nato, who would later become an actress, was born into their family. Nine years later, their second daughter, named Katya, was born. At that time, Ariadna Shengelaya lived in the Georgian capital with her husband and children.
The actress's husband was known for his fiery temper. He was a patriarchal believer. Ariadna adhered to the rules characteristic of traditional Georgian families. She lived with Eldar for over twenty years, but then their marriage ended. By that time, the actress's daughters were already adults and had opposed their parents' divorce.
After the divorce, Ariadna Vsevolodovna moved to Moscow with her elder daughter and regularly traveled to Georgia to see her younger daughter, who remained with Eldar. Eldar Shengelaya passed away in 1992.
Ariadna's personal life changed after she met her colleague Igor Kopchenko. Some colleagues of Ariadna Vsevolodovna claim that she first met Igor Kopchenko in Tbilisi, where their romance began. Ariadna Shengelaya's second husband gave solo concerts as a reciter, worked on dubbing foreign films, and recorded voice-overs for Kultura and NTV channels.
Those who knew Igor Kopchenko remember him as a very kind person. He befriended the actress's daughters from her previous marriage. Ariadna Shengelaya's 56-year-old second husband, Igor Kopchenko, passed away in 2003. A heart attack caused the sudden death of the Russian film star's husband.
After her second husband passed away, the actress dedicated herself entirely to her daughters and grandchildren. Ariadna Vsevolodovna initially cared for her grandchildren, and now she spends time with her grandchildren.
Each of her daughters has given birth to two children. Ariadna Shengelaya also has great-grandchildren.
The actress celebrated her 80th birthday in the capital of Georgia. After the jubilee, the Soviet film star decided to move to Tbilisi to be with her daughters. In 2020, to celebrate her 83rd birthday, Ariadna Vsevolodovna delighted her fans with a creative evening held on the stage of the Tbilisi Russian Drama Theater.
The 88-year-old actress currently lives in Tbilisi.
Ə.Qafarlı
