Her first role – the image of the girl Altynai in Andrei Konchalovsky’s film “The First Teacher” based on the story of the same name by Chingiz Aitmatov – brought her all-Union and even world fame. An aspiring ballerina who graduated from the Academic Choreographic School at the Bolshoi Theater, Natalya Arinbasarova is embarking on a completely new acting path that is unfamiliar to her.
Then there will be roles in the films “The Song of Manshuk”, “Trans-Siberian Express”, “Weak Heart” and many others. There are more than 60 paintings in total.
“Open Asia Online” talked to the famous actress and found out what she regrets, what roles she didn’t play and whether she considers herself happy.
Natalya Arinbasarova spent her childhood and youth in Central Asia. The frequent appointments of the military pope also contributed to the frequent change of geographical locations. Here is Turkmenistan, the town of Bayram-Ali. Here she will see the ballet “Swan Lake” for the first time and wants to become a ballerina. But here is Stalinabad (now Dushanbe), where she will return 25 years later, during the festival, just to see her childhood courtyard.
Sometimes the family of Utevle Turemuratovich and Maria Konstantinovna Arinbasarov returned to Moscow for a while. In 1965, Natasha’s dad was transferred to Alma-Ata. Here she began her studies at a ballet school, from where she was sent to Moscow to study at the famous academic choreographic school at the Bolshoi Theater.
“I have always been lucky in life,” Natalya Utevlevna says about this time, “ballet for me has always been the personification of all that is most beautiful. Sometimes, when the opportunity arises, I go to the Bolshoi Theater and it’s as if I find myself in childhood, because ballet is a fairy tale, it’s a holiday, and I’m happy that I had such a school in my life. After all, it is very important at the age of 9 to get up early in the morning at the barre and do exercises to classical music every day. Then you go and watch the ballet. You grow up surrounded by wonderful music and dance. You are taught to think in images. This is a great school where, among other things, they taught you to work and not feel sorry for yourself. When you fall, you fall off your feet, and they tell you “Get up!” – and you continue to do the exercises again and again. And this skill always helps in life through “I can’t” and “I don’t want.” This was especially useful in cinema. Sometimes I watch how young artists are already exhausted on the set, and it’s like you get a second wind. Maybe this is why directors have always appreciated me - for the fact that I was not capricious and could stand it for a long time.
Childhood and youth
The parents of the future actress met in Moscow. Her father, Utevle Turemuratovich, was a Kazakh by nationality; he came to Russia to study at the capital’s military academy. Mom Maria Konstantinovna came from a family of Poles who left their homeland during the First World War.
The marriage produced 5 children: two daughters and three sons. Natalya Utevlevna Arinbasarova was born in September 1946 in the capital's maternity hospital. Soon my father was sent to serve in Turkmenistan, where the early period of the future artist’s biography took place. Later, the family settled in Kazakhstan, but the girl never stopped yearning for Moscow, which she considered her hometown.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Sputnik KINOZRITELYA (@sputnikkinozritelya)
Natalya Arinbasarova in her youth
As a child, Natasha wanted to become a ballerina. She entered a choreographic school in Almaty, and a year later her old dream came true: a talented dancer was invited to the school at the Bolshoi Theater, located in the Russian capital. After leaving her parents' home, Arinbasarova lived in a boarding school, about which she had only positive memories.
At the school, Natalya was among the best students: at the state exam, the commission headed by Galina Ulanova gave the young ballerina an A. But the girl, preparing for her graduation performance, already knew that a ballet career was not in sight. At the age of 15, when her tonsils were removed, doctors discovered a heart defect. Then she decided that she would become a dramatic actress. The star spoke about this in the program “The Fate of a Man.”
Recognition abroad
Arinbasarova's first role brought her fame not only in the USSR, but also abroad: in 1966, she was awarded the Volpi Gold Cup at the Venice International Film Festival. After the dizzying success, foreign directors became interested in the young talent. The famous Francois Godard personally invited her to filming, but the actress was forbidden to travel abroad.
“Someone also likes me”: Sobchak commented on her appearance with humor
Russian women are deprived of maternity capital: how they do it and how to prevent it
“You always have to love”: Andrei Myagkov about life, art and love
Movies
The first role was a gift from above for Arinbasarova. She was in her last year of college when she was invited to audition for the graduation film of the young director Andrei Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky. It’s interesting that the filmmaker initially looked for another girl among the students, but there was confusion and they sent Natalya. They did not refuse her samples.
Preparations for filming were grueling: the actress’s hair was deliberately damaged and complex makeup was applied to make the image grimy and sloppy. But what turned out to be much more difficult was the scene during which the on-screen partner beat the girl several takes in a row.
Arinbasarova steadfastly withstood all the tests, after which she was approved, and then came the director’s verdict: she needs to lose weight. For the young dancer, who weighed about 45 kg and was 165 cm tall, this was a shock. However, Konchalovsky insisted that her face barely fit into the frame. The reason became clear years later: due to heart failure in the mountains where filming took place, the artist’s body swelled and she seemed larger. But then I had to adhere to a strict diet.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Ksyusha Tsyganskaya (@wwildmint)
Natalya Arinbasarova in the film “The First Teacher”
When signing the contact, Natalya, brought up in Eastern traditions, insisted that she would not act naked. For the scene in which her heroine appears without clothes, they hired a model, and when things didn’t work out with her, they chose a girl from the crowd. Later, when the actress told reporters about this, they quickly lost interest in her.
But the performer’s torment was not in vain. When the film “The First Teacher” was released, where Arinbasarova played young Altynai, both viewers and critics paid attention to it. In 1966, she, a non-professional actress, was awarded the main prize of the Venice festival - the golden Volpi Cup. The competitor was Jane Fonda, who played in Roger Vadim’s melodrama “Prey.”
In her youth, Natalya had no end to offers to act, and the talented artist was invited to study at VGIK. There she found herself several years older than her classmates, among whom were Natalya Belokhvostikova, Nikolai Eremenko and Sergei Nikonenko. But age and fame gave privileges - Arinbasarova was the only one in the group who was allowed to film.
In 1969, the film “Jamila” was released, in which the performer again got the main role. To prepare for filming, Natalya took horse riding lessons and performed many of the stunts on her own.
Natalya Arinbasarova in the film "Trans-Siberian Express"
This was followed by the premiere of the film “By the Lake,” which was directed by its master Sergei Gerasimov. While working on the script, he wrote the role of Katya Olzoeva specifically for the artist so that she could demonstrate her ballet skills. The performer was associated with this image for a long time.
Her Manshuk Mametova from the military drama “The Song of Manshuk” turned out to be no less bright and memorable. Konchalovsky wrote the script for the film specifically for her, which is why Arinbasarova so harmoniously took on the role of the brave machine gunner. The performer considers this work one of her favorites.
She also succeeded in her portrayal of Aizhan from the action adventure film “Trans-Siberian Express.” In subsequent years, the star continued to shine on screens, giving viewers unforgettable emotions. The 1990s began for Natalya Utevlevna with the comedy “Nipple System” by Alexander Pankratov-Cherny. There she starred in the role of a drunkard, unusual for her, and managed to make it believable.
The transition from the images of young warlike beauties to more characteristic and older ones was painless for the artist. According to her, she feels harmonious playing mothers and lively grandmothers. In 2011, Arinbasarova starred in the film “The Sky of My Childhood,” where she played the elderly mother of Nursultan Nazarbayev.
His Majesty's case
He needed to select a girl for the role of Altynai for his graduation film “The First Teacher” based on the story by Chingiz Aitmatov. Andrei Sergeevich immediately drew attention to Raushan Baiseitova - a miniature girl with plump lips and a rather characteristic appearance.
- We will invite her to Mosfilm.
However, I forgot to write down the name of the selected girl.
A few days later, the boarding school received a call from Mosfilm:
— Do you have a girl from a Kazakh group - thin, pretty?
- This is probably Natasha Arinbasarova?
- Yes Yes! - exclaimed at the other end of the line.
A large, rattling bus arrived surprisingly quickly. The teachers pushed out Natalya, who did not understand anything.
- Go, you are invited to Mosfilm!
Natalya Arinbasarova. Photo: www.globallookpress.com
When Natasha, in a huge drape oversized coat, burgundy color, looking like a night watchman, burst into the director’s office, Andrei Sergeevich’s eyes bulged out of their sockets in surprise.
- Not that one, and besides, not a girl, but a stuffed pea!
Natasha, like a butterfly, got rid of her bulky cocoon. Now in the middle of the gray room stood something very pretty. Andrei Sergeevich’s eyes returned to their proper place. The director smiled widely...
Personal life
The star’s first husband was Andrei Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky, whose affair broke out on the set of “The First Teacher.” The director was almost 10 years older than the actress and did not seem attractive to her, but he was an excellent conversationalist and managed to conquer her with his intellect. They got married in secret from the artist’s parents, who were against such a union, but over time accepted their daughter’s choice.
The marriage produced an heir, Yegor Konchalovsky, whom Natalya Utevlevna’s mother-in-law happily looked after. She adored her daughter-in-law and maintained a warm relationship with her, even when the divorce broke out. Communication continued with the ex-wife of Andrei Sergeevich’s brother, Anastasia Vertinskaya. In 2021, Arinbasarova’s son shared photos of the artists on his personal Instagram page.
Having separated from her husband, the performer no longer intended to get married. But then the artist Nikolai Dvigubsky appeared in her life, who courted the woman for a long time and eventually managed to win her heart. The wedding took place just 2 days before the appearance of their daughter Ekaterina, because the star was afraid that the girl would be recognized as illegitimate.
Natalya Arinbasarova with children.
Egor Konchalovsky and Ekaterina Dvigubskaya. Posted by Svetlana Svetlichnaya on Sunday, May 3, 2020
Natalya Arinbasarova with her son Yegor Konchalovsky and daughter Ekaterina Dvigubskaya
The second husband, like the first, divorced the actress because of the desire to work abroad. Natalya Utevlevna did not intend to leave Russia, because she knew that she would only be in demand in her homeland. For the sake of her career, she was ready to sacrifice her personal life, which she never regretted.
Later, Arinbasarova met director Eldor Urazbaev, with whom she lived for 16 years, but no longer formalized the relationship. The man easily found a common language with the artist’s children and willingly filmed her in films, but in the 90s their relationship deteriorated and they decided to separate peacefully.
Now Natalya Utevlevna is focused on raising her grandchildren; she has three of them: Maria, Timur and Timofey. The son and daughter of the star have connected their fate with cinema, making films in which the mother is often invited. They consider her a talisman.
Third marriage
The marriage with Dvigubsky, which was very happy at first, cracked after a few years. Natalya broke up with her second husband, throwing in her lot with director Eldor Urazbaev. The new husband had children of his own, and Natalya did everything to ensure that they felt love and comfort in their father’s house. It was difficult for her at first, but very soon she was able to win the love of her husband’s children. Their relationship continued even when the couple broke up.
Arinbasarova remembers all her marriages with great love; she says that all her husbands were very respectful of her profession, helped in self-improvement and were always there in difficult times. She, like a wise oriental woman, was always interesting to her spouses and never confined herself to family life.
Konchalovsky treated Katya very well, he even helped her by paying part of the amount for studying abroad. At first, Katya had slight problems in her relationship with her own father, since the girl demanded attention and suffered at first due to her parents’ divorce. Katya considers Eldora to be her real father, who put her on her feet and gave her an excellent upbringing. Eldor was always there in difficult times, helping with advice.
Natalya Arinbasarova now
In 2021, the actress returned to the screens after a short break. She appeared in the film “Mistress of the Mountain,” directed by her daughter Ekaterina Dvigubskaya. In the project, Arinbasarova got one of the main roles, and her colleagues were Anna Snatkina, Victoria Tolstoganova and Sergei Peregudov. Later, with the participation of the performer, the premiere of the comedy “My Dad is the Leader!” took place. Egor Konchalovsky.
What did Natalia's fellow countrymen accuse her of?
In one of the episodes of the film, the young actress was supposed to appear naked. She stated that she refused this - an oriental girl brought up in strictness could not allow herself such freedom. She was replaced by a stunt double. The audience did not know that another girl starred in that shot. After the release of the film, the actress received a barrage of angry letters from Central Asia. Compatriots believed that the actress disgraced her people.
Filmography
- 1965 — “The First Teacher”
- 1968 — “Tashkent is a city of grain”
- 1969 — “By the Lake”
- 1970 — “A calm day at the end of the war”
- 1971 — “Night on the 14th parallel”
- 1977 — “Trans-Siberian Express”
- 1979 — “The Taste of Bread”
- 1981 — “Provincial Romance”
- 1984 - “First Horse”
- 1987 — “A Visit to the Minotaur”
- 1990 — “Nipple System”
- 2005 — “The Saga of the Ancient Bulgars”
- 2009 — “Justice of Wolves”
- 2010 — “Return to “A”
- 2013 — “Beautiful to Death”
- 2016 — “Husband with home delivery”
- 2018 — “A.L.Z.I.R.”
- 2019 — “Strong Weak Woman”
- 2021 — “Mistress of the Mountain”
Further work in cinema
After graduating from VGIK, Natalya Arinbasarova continued acting in films. Pictures with her participation often received prestigious film awards. Thus, “Trans-Siberian Express” was awarded a special jury prize at the All-Union Film Festival in Yerevan. In 1978, it was watched by over 24 million viewers.
For her role in the film “The Taste of Bread,” Natalya received the USSR State Prize in 1980. At the international film festival, which was held in Geneva in 1994, the actress received the prize for best actress in the film “A Weak Heart.”
