Nadira Passes Away Options

[catch22]

Nadira the vamp of the 50's bollywood movies, who started her movie career with Mehboob's ''AAN" passed away. Just heard on the news

[Nimii]

Famous actress of yesteryears Nadira died after prolonged illness at a hospital in Mumbai early Thursday morning. She was 73.

Nadira was admitted to Bhatia hospital on January 2 after a paralytic stroke. She was also suffering from other complications and had been in coma, doctors said.

A Jew, Nadira was staying all alone in a flat in south Mumbai.

The funeral will be held Thursday evening, former president of Cine Artistes Association and fellow actor Chandrashekhar said.
Nadira made her foray in the film industry in the 1950s with the film 'Aan'. She also appeared in 'Shree 420', 'Dil Apna Preet Parayee' and 'Julie.'

[maheshks]

Nadira: A woman ahead of her time

Priyanka Jain | January 16, 2006 16:02 IST




If you do an Internet search on Nadira you will probably find a list of her movies, or a few recent articles about her illness.

But not much has been written about this boisterous actress who had the audacity to play negative roles in the 1950s and 1960s -- when most heroines portrayed the virginal pativrata nari. [/font]

Julie, Pakeeza, Shri 420, Sagar and, more recently, Pooja Bhatt's Tamanna, Josh and a teleseries, Margaritta, with Milind Soman, are a few of her works that showcase her stunning beauty and performance. She mostly acted in villainous roles. [/font]

However, apart from the hospital registrar and a few close friends, no one even knows her original name is Florence Ezekeil. She has two brothers, one in the US and one in Israel. But before you peek into her life, acquaint yourself with her present state. Nadira is in the Intensive Care Unit of Mumbai's Bhatia Hospital, where she was admitted on December 27 last year.

When I entered the second floor ICU last Wednesday, Nadira's maid Shobha was very protective. However, she led me to bed 233. A shiver ran down my spine.

What lay in front of me was a bundle tied together with lots of tubes, her neck given support and her head hanging low in it.

Images of her youth flashed through my mind. I was wondering what happened to her, and I was wondering god knows how many other yesteryear actresses might be lying similarly alone in their sprawling homes.

I guess Nadira sensed some presence, so she opened one eye. The other eye's nerve is affected, and she can't open it yet. She extended her hand slowly. I stood there frozen and puzzled. Her maid then took me away.

On my second visit to the hospital, Dr Arpita, the ICU's medical head, explained, "Nadira was brought in a semi-comatose state. She had patches and bruises all over her body. She is suffering from tubercular meningitis, alcoholic liver disorder and paralysis and had developed a complication of tubercular meningitis. We have been feeding her through tubes. However, she seems to be getting better now after about 18 days of treatment and may be discharged within a week depending on her condition. But she will require a nurse at home."

I left the hospital shaken. Though I was no fan of hers, to think of such a beautiful woman frail and bedridden was just too much.

Considering she had made no public appearance in three years, like many others, I assumed she was a loner. On reaching the Vasundhara building near Mahalaxmi temple -- where Nadira lives -- I was in for a pleasant surprise.

Her 12-year-old neighbour and friend Abhay Chopra gushed about how just last month on December 5, the kids in the building relished cakes and Biryani while celebrating Nadira's 75th birthday.

"I love to meet aunty. We kids drop by once in a while at her place. She is very fond of us and we love interacting with her," Abhay said.

Another neighbour, Kaushal Agarwal, said, "I used to borrow books from Nadira Aunty. She has a wonderful library stocked with works of Shakespeare, Hitler, Vivekanand, books on World War II, religious books on Judaism, books by German philosophers among others. To my sister Deepika and me, she is like our grandmother."

While a neighbour, Sona, raved about Nadira being an agony aunt and patient listener, another, Rajesh Agarwal, said, "She is very fond of music and listens to the radio. She does not like to watch television. However, she reads newspapers diligently and can discuss current affairs at length. In better days, we would sit with her friends Nimmi and Shyama and play cards too."

While leaving the building, the liftman confirmed that Nadira is no loner. "She has regular visitors -- friends from the industry and otherwise. People like Tanuja, Nimmi, Shyama, Deepti Naval, Milind Soman and others drop in once in a while," he said.

Actor Tom Alter reminisced, "Nadira has been a woman so much ahead of her time -- in fact, she was a woman for all time -- beautiful, bold, truthful. What today's woman strives to be, Nadira was 50 years ago."

[font="Arial"]Her co-star Milind Soman, visiting her at the hospital, said, "On the sets of [font="Arial"]Margaritta[font="Arial"], it was a treat to work with her. A very graceful lady, she would perform her role with the utmost care and treated all of us like a family. I drop into her place once in a while, with our serial's director.[font=Arial]

The winning vamp

V Gangadhar

I was overwhelmed -- not only had Nadira agreed to an interview, she was actually quite enthusiastic about the whole idea. Unfortunately, her cheerful mood did not last very long. The maid servant, who was to turn up at 10.30 am, was late. Meanwhile, a messenger from the unit of the television serial Aankhen arrived with two handwritten pages of dialogue which she was expected to memorise for the shooting later that day.

Nadira is a disciplined person who likes an organised life. Why was the maid late? What would she do if the maid did not turn up? Why was the script so hazy? How could she bring out the emotions which were needed for the scene?

Our interview had been progressing in fits and starts. The former siren of the Indian screen, who began her career as a heroine but made history as a vamp, did not hide her irritation at the disorderly life around her. She found the television script devoid of logic. "Everything is so unprofessional," she grumbled. "You just can't face the camera and emote without adequate preparation."

The discipline, hard work and dedication which mark Nadira's life were inherited from her mother. Born into an orthodox Maharashtrian-Jewish family, Nadira's parents divorced when she was just four. Nadira, christened Farhal Ezekil, was brought up by her maternal grandparents. Her mother fell in love with another man and left her husband for him. But, after the birth of a son, the second husband threw her out and she was forced to live by herself.

"My younger brother and I were quite happy with our grandparents," recalled Nadira. "But mother was lonely and miserable so we went back to her." Her mother had a job with a Royal Air Force unit -- a job she lost after India became free. The family had a tough time. "I really did not know how mother managed," says Nadira.



Yet she did, with an iron hand at that. Nadira studied at St Anthony's Convent and was a good and popular student. Though a Jew, she was influenced by Christianity and knew all its prayers. Her orthodox mother often thrashed her for this. "I used to show all my bruises to St Anthony's statue in school and ask him to forgive my mother."

Her mother, though strict disciplinarian, saw to it that her children did not lack anything. "We never had second-hand books or old pens or pencils. It was always the best for us," recalled Nadira. Yet, when her bubbly daughter got her third double promotion in school, Nadira's mother asked the school authorities to cancel it because she feared it would go her head. "The double promotion would have meant saving of one year's tuition fees," says Nadira. "But mother had her say and would not be swayed."

Nadira was highly popular in school; the boys considered her a yaar and came to her defence if anyone teased her. She participated in dramatics and, when she was 12, played Judas in a school play. And, when the girl who was to play Mary did not turn up, Nadira volunteered to play her role too.

She passed her SSC exam with flying colours. One day, in 1949, while sheltering from a thunderstorm in a building, she was spotted by the wife of famed director Mehboob Khan. Khan was then planning a technicolour extravaganza, Aan. Nargis, who was to play the lead, could not give him dates and he was on the lookout for a new face.

"I was flabbergasted; I had no acting experience. I did not know a thing about Hindi films," says Nadira. She had only seen two movies, Laila Majnu and Mirza Sahib. And she had not been photographed even once. "Not even by a Brownie camera," she grins. Her mother was dismayed -- she wanted Nadira to settle down and marry a nice boy.

After a great deal of persuasion, and considering the family's financial situation, Nadira's mother reluctantly agreed. Since Nadira was a minor, she signed the contract with Khan. Nadira was to be paid Rs 1,200 a month, an unheard of amount in those days.

"Mehboob Khan's wife groomed me for stardom," says Nadira. "She taught me how to dress, put on make-up; she even bought me my first well-fitting bra." Nadira attended story sessions, learnt horse riding but, somehow, Khan forgot to pay her for three months. This dawned on him when he found Nadira wearing the same clothes for days together. He gave her Rs 3,600. The family splurged buying clothes, jewellery, furniture... "And mutton, chicken and fish," smiles Nadira.

Aan was a romantic film in which a common man fights against royal tyranny and, in the process, falls in love with the haughty princess (Nadira). Today, Nadira finds Khan's direction techniques old-fashioned. "He told me that, to be haughty, I had to glare at people. That what I did throughout the film. So much so, I feared my eyeballs would pop out!"

Dilip Kumar, Hindi cinema's number one hero in those days, was Nadira's co-star. For the first six days of the shoot, he spoke to her normally; though he often used big words which she did not understand. On the seventh day, he made a statement she did not deserve, "You are the most despicable character I have ever met!"

"I smiled at him," said Nadira. "I did not know the meaning 'despicable' and thought he was paying me a compliment. When I went home and referred to the dictionary, I realised what he really meant. Since then, we don't talk to each other. Today, whenever we meet, Dilipsaab pats me on the back and cracks jokes. But I have not forgotten the word 'despicable'."

Aan was a big hit and Nadira received rave reviews on her debut performance. Success brought her a coterie of male admirers. Mehboob Khan flirted with her. An Urdu poet Naqshab wooed her with couplets, and Nadira ended up marrying him. Her mother was furious.

And Nadira was miserable. She starred in Naqshab's productions, Nagma and Raftaar, and was forced to promote the films by posing for sexy posters. Yet, at home, she was compelled to wear the purdah. Naqshab insisted she cancel her three-year contract with Mehboob Khan. He even announced that they were not married. Disgusted, Nadira walked out, leaving behind all her earnings.

Resuming her career was not easy. Her features were 'foreign'. The industry found her too thin, quite unlike the buxom heroines it patronised. Nadira tried different diets; she even drank beer in an effort to put on weight. Fortunately, she had been negotiating with Raj Kapoor for a role in Shri 420. Kapoor made it clear it was not a heroine's role. She would have to play a vamp, smouldering cigarette in one hand, a glass of whisky in the other, dancing and trying to seduce the hero.

When Shri 420 was released, Nadira's performance matched those of Nargis and Kapoor. In a movie filled with melodious numbers, it was her Mud mud ke na dekh that brought the crowds to their feet.

Her success was her undoing. Producers offered her huge amounts to wear sarees below the navel, smoke, drink and play the vamp. "I did not want that," declared Nadira. "But now, I feel that if I had been selective, or if I had received some good advice, I would not have rejected so many of those roles."



At around this time, Nadira married again. Her husband was an Arab who promised her the moon and boasted he owned a kingdom which he would lay down at her feet. Within hours of the marriage, though, Nadira learnt she had been duped -- her husband did not have a penny. The marriage lasted a week.

It was one of the worst periods in her life. "I was emotionally torn and often cried bitterly. At times, I would report on the sets of Shri 420 with eyes which were red and puffy. Raj and Nargis comforted me and asked me if I could return to my husband. That was the one thing I could not do."

She longed for marriage, for motherhood and for respectability. When she did not get it, she began to concentrating on her career. She accepted negative roles -- she was the cruel mother-in-law, the greedy madam, the scheming kothawali. Her performances in films like Ek Nazar, Dil Apna Aur Preet Parayi, Pakheeza and Hanste Zakam won her laurels. Her role as a Christian mother in Julie was a landmark performance which fetched her 15 awards.

And, in 1956, when she told the late JRD Tata at a party that she would like to own his Mercedes Benz which was parked at the gate, he had it delivered to her the next morning!

But personal happiness eluded her. For years, she had to look after her sick parents who, though divorced, lived under her roof. Relatives she did not know existed sought her help; at one time, she had 14 of the them living with her! Yet, today, Nadira has no one who will care for her. Her brother is in Israel and her step-brother stays in London. "I brought them up like sons," she moans, "but they don't even keep in touch with me."

So the 70-something actress, with more than 250 films to her credit, carries on single-handedly. Nadira is reluctant to probe into the reasons being the non-existent film career. "I have always dressed well, lived well. Maybe, producers felt I was too well off to bother about doing character roles," she muses.

Television, despite its lack of organisation, has been a source of succour. "My problem is that I get too involved with whatever I am doing," Nadira explained. "I wish serial producers are more professional. But, despite everything, I give my best."

Her spare time is devoted to her few friends and to her outstanding library -- which includes works by Plato, Winston Churchill, Vivekananda and Will Durant. Briefly, we discuss Richard Nixon. Watergate or no Watergate, I consider him the greatest US president," declares Nadira.

Didn't I tell you she was unique?

[Inaam]

Thanks for such an informative post Mahesh Ji!!!!