| 1. She is the great-granddaughter of poet Rabindranath Tagore. |
| 2. Sharmila was born in Hyderabad but spent some years of her childhood in Kolkata. |
| 3. At the age of 13, she was offered a role in films. |
| 4. Sharmila struggled with academics and attendance, leading her to choose between further studies and filmmaking. |
| 5. Her younger sister Oindrila acted in only one film, playing Mini in Tapan Sinha's Kabuliwala (1957). |
| 6. She made history by being the first Indian actress to appear in a bikini in the 1967 film 'An Evening in Paris.' |
| 7. In 1968, she posed in a bikini for the glossy Filmfare magazine. |
| 8. Before marrying Mansoor Ali Khan, she converted to Islam and changed her name to Begum Ayesha Sultana. |
| 9. Her husband, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, was the Nawab of Pataudi and a former captain of the Indian cricket team. |
| 10. After Mansoor Ali Khan's passing in 2011, she requested the India-England series to be recognized as the Pataudi Trophy. |
| 11. She won National Film Awards for Best Actress in Mausam (1975) and Best Supporting Actress in Abar Aranye. |
| 12. In 2005, Sharmila was appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF India. |
