She looks a lot like Zeenat Aman..........Thanks a lot mahesh....

You should do this more often re.....thank you

She must have acted in a handful of films..........but what an impact....

Thanks a lot Jassi, keep adding.........

Shyama
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Filmography of shyama.....

1. Hathyar (1989)
2. Payal Ki Jhankaar (1980)
... aka The Tinkling of Anklets

3. Khel Khilari Ka (1977) .... Mrs. Khairatilal
4. Khel Khel Mein (1975)
5. Sewak (1975)
6. Ajanabee (1974) (as Shama)
7. Naya Din Nai Raat (1974) .... Brothel Madame
... aka New Day, New Night
8. Honeymoon (1973) .... Laxmi Choudhary
9. Prabhat (1973) .... Champabai
10. Suraj Aur Chanda (1973)
11. Gomti Ke Kinare (1972)
12. Shaadi Ke Baad (1972) .... Basanti's mother
13. Zindagi Zindagi (1972) .... Meeta's chachi (aunt)
14. Kangan (1971)
... aka The Bangle (International: English title)
15. Mastana (1970) .... Mrs. Dhanraj
16. Sawan Bhadon (1970)

17. Beti (1969) .... Kamla Verma
18. Aag (1967)
... aka Fire (International: English title: informal literal title)
19. Mehrban (1967) .... Mangla Ram Swarup
... aka Grace (International: English title)
... aka Obliged
20. Milan (1967) .... Gauri's stepmother
... aka Reunion
21. Dil Diya Dard Liya (1966) .... Mala
22. Janwar (1965) .... Seema M. Srivastava
... aka Jaanwar (India: Hindi title: video title)
... aka Janwaar (India: Hindi title: alternative transliteration)
23. Ji Chahta Hai (1964)
24. Bahurani (1963)
... aka Daughter-in-Law (International: English title)
25. Ghar Basake Dekho (1963)
26. Raaz Ki Baat (1962) .... Ranjana
27. Zabak (1961)
28. Apna Ghar (1960)
... aka Our House (International: English title)
29. Barsaat Ki Raat (1960) .... Shama
... aka Barsaat Ki Ek Raat (India: Hindi title)
30. Duniya Jhukti Hai (1960)

31. Chhoti Bahen (1959) .... Shobha
32. Chandan (1958)
33. Khazanchi (1958) .... Usha
... aka Treasury
34. Lala Rukh (1958)
35. Panchayat (1958)
36. Taqdeer (1958)
37. Bandi (1957) .... Shankar's Wife
... aka The Captive
38. Bhabhi (1957) .... Tara
39. Hill Station (1957)
40. Johnny Walker (1957)
41. Mai Baap (1957)
42. Mirza Sahiban (1957) .... Sahiban
43. Sharada (1957) .... Chanchal
44. Suvarna Sundari (1957/II)
45. Bhai-Bhai (1956) .... Sangeeta
46. Chhoo Mantar (1956) .... Sawli
... aka Chhoo Mantar (India: Hindi title: alternative transliteration)
47. Makkhee Choos (1956)
48. Bhagwat Mahima (1955)
49. Khandaan (1955)
50. Musafirkhana (1955)
... aka Musafir Khana (India: Hindi title: alternative transliteration)
51. Aar-Paar (1954) .... Nikki
... aka Across the Heart (International: English title: informal title)
... aka From One Side to the Other
52. Darwaza (1954)
53. Dhoop Chhaon (1954)
54. Laadla (1954)
55. Majboori (1954)
... aka Chhoti Bahen
... aka Younger Sister
56. Pensioner (1954)
57. Pilpili Saheb (1954)
58. Savdhan (1954)
59. Shart (1954)
60. Char Chand (1953)
61. Dil-E-Nadan (1953)
62. Dil-E-Nadan (1953)
63. Shyama (1953)
64. Suhag Sindoor (1953)
65. Thokar (1953)
66. Aasmaan (1952)
67.Shrimatiji(1952)
67. maa(1952)
68. Sazaa(1951)
69.Taraana(1951)
70.Dolti nayya(1950)
71.Jan Pehchan(1950)
72.Nishana(1950)
73.Nili(1950)
74.Naach(1949)
75.Patanga(1949)
76.Roop Lekha(1949)
77.Shabnam(1949)
78.Shair(1949)
79.Grihasti(1948)
80. Karwane hayat(1935)

She won the Filmfare best Supporting actress award for her role in Sharada in 1957..

Shakeela

Some of her prominent films

CID
Aar paar
Shriman satyawadi
Tower house
Chhalis din
Post box999
Neeli aankhen
Reshmi roomal
Guest house



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Nutan (June 4, 1936 - February 21, 1991)


What set Nutan apart from other actresses of her time was that she was a thinking actress
who tried to fathom the inchoate motivations of the characters she played. She could convey
much more with just a look or fleeting glance than most could even with expansive dialogue.
In fact Lata Mangeshkar has singled her out as the heroine whose expressions came closest to
suggest she was genuinely singing the song herself!

She grew with complexes, she was termed skinny and ugly, yet her eyes told tales from the
depth of the heart and she gave us more than three decades of her life...this is Nutan for you!

Daughter of the well established actress Shobana Samarth, Nutan was a beautiful image. But sadly it
had not always been so. More often than not, relatives put her off as skinny and ugly. As a child
she starred in NAL DAMAYANTI and at 14, offers came in. She acted in a few movies but that, did
not give her the 'star-class' or win her acclaim. She was considered 'too thin.' But mother Shobana,
was to take none of it. Having seen the child Nutan's inclination and talent for movies she did not
want to leave any stone unturned for her. She sent 18-year-old Nutan to a finishing school in
Switzerland to trim the wild ends.

The Nutan that returned from Switzerland then set the stage on fire. From there emerged a petite
beauty who went on to make history in Indian Cinema. From 1950 for more than three decades
Nutan gave us wonderful movies, many which took her to great heights thus showing off her acting
caliber.

In 1950, Shobana Samarth launched Nutan with HUMARI BETI.....followed by HUM LOG and
NAGINA...

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Despite her early success, for the next few years, she didn't make much headway. Her mother
Shobhana sent Nutan to La Chatelaine, a finishing school in Switzerland. After returning from
Switzerland, Nutan got her major breakthrough and respectability as an actress par excellence
with Amiya Chakraborty's Seema, 1955 where she played a delinquent in a reform home. It was a powerhouse performance and won her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress.

Whether it was the frothy, the lighthearted Paying Guest, 1957, or Dilli ka Thug1958, where she
performed with a frothy uninhibitedness comparable only to Madhubala, or Bimal Roy's classic
Sujata, 1959, which brought out the best in her as an artiste, Nutan was always matchless

As an actress Nutan could convey more through a single glance or a fleeting look than most
could with lengthy dialogues. And her forte was not just melodramatic tearjerkers in which she
came out tops with her restrained and dignified performance, but also lighthearted, urbane
romantic comedies...

Contrary to the serene image that she projected, Nutan was quite a firebrand...she wore a
swimsuit for her film Dilli Ka Thug,dragged her mother to court for misappropriation of
funds and reportedly slapped actor Sanjeev Kumar for allegedly making a pass at her.

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In 1959, the year in which she rode high with hits like Sujata and Anadi, Nutan married Naval
Lieutenant Commander Rajneesh Behl and took a small break when her son Mohnish was born.
In 1963 she made a stinging comeback with two diametrically different films--Navketan's
Tere Ghar ke Saamne, a refreshing romantic comedy and Bimal Roy's sombre Bandini, boasting
of possibly her greatest ever performance and certainly one of the greatest performances of
Indian Cinema.Paired opposite Ashok Kumar, the film revolves around a woman prisoner charged
with murdering her lover's wife. Nutan managed to capture the tumultuous emotions of the woman
prisoner without giving way to high-voltage theatrics and rhetoric. With grace, dignity, and an eerie calmness, she seared the silver screen with an entire gamut of emotions in the scene where she
commits the murder. Bandini rightfully fetched her another Filmfare award.

Nutan worked with almost all the top heroes of her era, beginning from Dev Anand, Raj Kapoor,
Balraj Sahni, Sunil Dutt, Ashok Kumar, Dharmendra, Dilip Kumar, Rajinder Kumar and Kishore
Kumar. She proved to be a perfect foil for the eccentric genius Kishore Kumar and the suave
Dev Anand......

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Her career spanned over 30 years, she appeared in over 100 films winning 5 Filmfare Best
Actress awards for Seema,Sujatha, Bandini,Milan,Main tulsi tere angan ki and Best Supporting
actress award for Meri Jung

Right through the sixties and seventies, Nutan continued to wow audiences with films like Milan in 1967, Saraswatichandra in 1968, Saudagar in 1973, Saajan Bina Suhagan in 1978, Kasturi in 1978 and award winning performance in Raj Khosla's Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki in 1978. Gradually, she began being
saddled with mundane mother roles, where she excelled in films like Meri Jung in 1985, Naamand
Karma in 1986

Memorable films
Insaniyat(1994)
Naam(1986)
Karma (1986)
Mein Tulsi tere aangan ki(1978)
Saudagar(1973)
Devi (1970)
Maharaja (1970)
Yaadgaar (1970)
Bhai Bahen (1969)
Gauri (1968)
Saraswatichandra (1968)
Dulhan Ek Raat Ki (1967)
Laat Saheb (1967)
Milan (1967
Dil ne phir yaad kiya(1966)
Khandaan (1965)
Rishte Naahte (1965)
Chandi Ki Deewar (1964)
Bandini (1963)
Dil Hi To Hai (1963)
Tere Ghar Ke Samne (1963)
Soorat Aur Seerat (1962)
Basant (1960)
Chhabili (1960)
Chhalia (1960)
Manzil (1960)
Anari (1959)
Kanhaiya (1959)
Sujata (1959)
Chandan (1958)
Dilli Ka Thug (1958)
Kabhi Andhera Kabhi Ujala (1958)
Sone Ki Chidiya (1958)
Baarish (1957)
Paying Guest (1957)
Heer (1956)
Seema (1955)
Shabab (1954)
Laila Majnu (1953)
Shisham (1952)
Hamari Beti (1950)

Gradually, she began being saddled with mundane mother roles and barring Meri Jung (1985) none of her later films even remotely offered her any histrionic challenges.

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Even as she continued to act, her diary farm, her bhajan singing (she was actually blessed with a fine singing voice and did her own playback in Chabili (1960)) and her search for spirituality took up her time. When she died of cancer in 1991, Indian Cinema had lost one of its greatest performers.....

Thanx Reeth. That's a gr8 intro. Nutan's never looked so lovely as in that song 'Woh chand khila woh taare hanse'.
I prefer B/W pixs over color any day. How about you?

Noorie

Reeth,


Nutan to me is one of the greatest all time. Her only film with Dilip Kumar never got completed. She played
variety of roles with ease. Some really playful roles with Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor. And some really
serious-sober roles in other films. It is heard to see any one matching her performances in Seema,
Bandini, Sujata, Chalia to name a few. She was a good singer. I saw her in a Manadey concert were she
came on stage to sing a couple of songs from her film. She was so liveley the audience wanted her to continue and she ended up singing quite a few songs. I remember Lata complemnting Nutan about perfect
lipsinging a difficult classical song in Seema.

Noorie i agree with you she does look Beaaauutifuuuull in Anari and in 'woh chand khila...
There is a certain amout of mystery in watching a B/W movie and anyway all the Great movies of hindi cinema were in B/w....i like the color films of the late 50's or was it later in the early sixties?....it is soothing and the ladies look lovely in all those pastle shades of pink blue and purple very classy IMHO what say?

i agree with you Ramesh, one can go into superlatives while talking about her performances and talent...
I have seen Sujata, Bandini,seema,Anari,Chalia,Milan,Dil ne phir yaad kiya and a few other movies and she is consistent with her performance no matter who the leading man is or what the story line is......
It is unfortunate that we missed out on a great pairing of Nutan and Dilip Kumar in their hey days....they did come together much later in Karma is it?

How I wish Dilip and Nutan had acted together during their heydays. To me personally, Nutan has been the best actress till date. I'm obsessed with her her role and acting prowess in MAI.N TULSI.... In her frolicsome role in TERE GHAR KE SAAMNE, I just can't forget those rolling eyes, puckering of the lips and the simplicity of her gestures and attires. The Nutan of SAUDAGAR singing TERA MERA SAATH RAHE....just before she is to be ditched by her husband who had only married her for a convenience, and her later forgiving him stands as one of her finest portrayals of a used woman.

NASIR.

'Man mohana bade jhoote
Haar ke haar nahin maani'. That was the song, wasn't it?

Watching that scene, it is hard to believe that it was Lata ji who did all the real singing.

Noorie

Reeth, it seems that Nutan's one of your favorite actresses too! I got that feeling from your selection of pictures. They are wonderful, thank you.

You mean the 60's movies like Mere Mehboob, Jungli, Leader, Kashmir Ki Kali and so on? Sadhana looked picture perfect in Mere Mehboob, and Saira looked like a dream in her maiden film Jungli, so perhaps I'll agree!

That was before the bird's-nest-high-up-on-the cliff hairdo's took over in the stormy 70's. Thank God those days are over.

Noorie

Nutan is one of my favourite actresses , i am happy you liked the pictures, she is so graceful and charming....

Yes thats right the early 60's were great...... Asha parekh looks pretty in Love in Tokyo,Mere sanam , Ziddi and Sadhna looks lovely in Waqt,Arzoo etc; so does Saira bano and Sharmila Tagore in their earlier films........

Oh yes, they did, and what a fine pair they made onscreen.

Dilip Kumar even sings a few lines 4 Nutan in Karma 'Pooche meri biwi "Do you love me"?'

Noorie

I must watch this movie, i just happeed to see one of the songs on TV..........
You know i feel the same way about Geeta Bali and Dilip Kumar, i wish they had acted together............she is another actress i find very interesting and charming.....

I like her too. You're right, Geeta Bali was naturally charming, she had absolutely no affectation or mannerisms that might have overshadowed her acting. I like her best in Baware Nain and Baaz, and Albela, and Baazi, and Milap ( beautiful songs! ), then there's Mr. India, and of course Jaal.

Is your list longer than mine?

Noorie

Ummm i have not seen Mr India, have seen jailor,Jabse tumhe dekha hai,Ferry, Anand math and a couple of others......
she is so natural and so bubbly.....

That's how people describe Preity Zinta, do you like her too?

Jab se tumhe dekha hai, I was searching 4 this name, cudn't recollect it. I've seen that, she's paired with Pradeep Kr, isn't she? The film had some hummable songs, they keep springing up on HF all the time.

Reeth, was Anand Math the film as good as the book? I've been dying to ask that from sumone who's seen it, this then is my lucky day.

Noorie

That's how people describe Preity Zinta, do you like her too?

Jab se tumhe dekha hai, I was searching 4 this name, cudn't recollect it. I've seen that, she's paired with Pradeep Kr, isn't she? The film had some hummable songs, they keep springing up on HF all the time.

Reeth, was Anand Math the film as good as the book? I've been dying to ask that from sumone who's seen it, this then is my lucky day.

Noorie

Preity Zinta is o;k , nothing great.........i liked her in Dil chahta hai, and the only other movie that i have seen is Soldier...
The problem with the new actreses is overexposure.....the element of mystery is missing......the only actress i like among the newer lot is Nandita Das....

Jab se tumhe dekha hai is an o;k film, saw it just for those great songs 'Yeh din din hai khushi ke' with Mannadey,suman and ' Hum aap ki mehfil mein ' by Rafi & couple of other Rafi duets, and of course Geeta Bali.....it is a pleasure to watch her in any kind of setup.

I have not read Anandmath , however the film was good, some nice songs and great acting by Geeta dutt and Prithviraj kapoor.....infact Pradeep kumar too was not bad..........

Why the sad face Reeth? You've got a whole life ahead of you 2 read the book!
The book's really good. But I wud like 2 watch the film ( Many thanks 4 that favorable review ) too; I always do that with all the classic novels. Mostly to do a Simon Cowell, you know.

Let's see, there's Chitralekha, Parineeta ( the older one starring Meena Kumari & Ashok Kr ), Godaan, Kabuli Wala, Umrao Jaan and if i think any longer this post won't get 2 the board. But there's more, a lot more. And I haven't even begun on the English classics. I think I'll wait 4 you to do that.

Nandita is a good actress, but she doesn't quite have the fire of Smita Patil, did you watch her Mirch Masala? You shud!

Noorie

one of the most natural actress of indian cinema..

Vamps of 50s

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Cuckoo-She made debut in 1948 with film called Vidya starring Suraiya.Later she got main leads in B grade films.Soon she got roles of supporting actresses and Vamps.She did some dance numbers in 50s films and she brought Helan to films.Barsaat,Andaz,Bawre Nain,Awara,Afsana,Aan,Mr & Mrs 55,Chalti ka naam gaadi etc were some of her main films.She retired in mid of 60s and She produced some films too.She passed away in 1981.

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Nigar Sultana-She made debut with Rangbhoomi in 1946,film could not do well.Later she did some supporting roles.She got to work in Aag in 1948 and she got some more supporting roles.Mugle Aazam's Bahar's role was one of her best work.Aag,Bazar,Khel,Yahoodi,Mughle Aazam etc were her main films.Later her daughter Heena Kausar too joined films.Nigar passed away in 2000.

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Kuldeep Kaur-She made debut in 1949 with Kaneez,soon she got Ashok Kumar,Nalini Jaywant starring hit film Samadhi.She too got supporting roles.She mostly played roles of Vamp.Samadhi,Ek Nazar,Baiju Bawra,Miss Coca Cola,Baaz,Footpath etc were her main films.

I have seen both Chitralekha ,Parineeta and Kabuliwala...........all very good, have you seen Do bigha zameen? Balraj sahni is so good, i simply can't think of any other actor in that role......he was another great actor.
I have seen Mirch masala, and Smitha looks sexy, she has such smouldering looks.......I have seen 'Nishant 'and another powerful movie 'Subah' and ' Aakhir kyon? Later i'd definitely like to do a writeup on her....

Jassi you are talking about Nutan? yes she definitely was a great actress



Thank you jassi.......Cuckoo's dance numbers were famous
Nigar sultana had acted in a few leading roles in movies like Mastana, Daman,Rishta, Patanga,Mangu etc:
Later she acted in ' Mere humdum mere dost' if i am not mistaken...

This is fun! Yeah, I've seen all those films that you mentioned; Balraj Sahni is one of my most favorite actors too, but after Ashok Kr. I like him in all the roles, but his Lajwanti, Kathputli, Seema, Bhabhi ki chudiyaan, Anuradha, Bindiya, Black Cat, Ghar Sansar, Bhabhi, Chhoti Behan, Waqt, Pavitra Paapi ( paired with his son Parikshat Sahni ), Do Raste, and Garam Hawa are some of those I especially liked very much.

That wud be a gr8 idea to do a write up on Smita Patil for this thread. I am sure Jassi must be very happy that you remembered to add the word "later" 'coz she's already made her views clear that the thread progress in a methodical way.
Nothing wrong in that, but I like this informal method much better. What about you, Reeth?

Noorie

i have no idea reeth
i know cuckoo and nigar sultana are no more,but dont know abt kuldeep kaur

Kuldip Kaur the buxom vamp had a very meaty role in AFSANA of 1951 - a B.R. film, which was later remade and offered to Dilip Kumar who had to oblige his friend much against his own wishes. The role of Bindu in DAASTAN was the same that Kuldip Kaur had enacted in AFSANA which starred Ashok Kumar in a double role. This movie was a great hit. I remember that Kuldip Kaur committed suicide.

Cuckoo's best role, I think, was in Mehboob's ANDAZ of 1949. She was the supporting actress there.
Cuckoo was very well known for her PATLI KAMAR... (Just watch her waist). Therefore, the song: PATLI KAMAR HAI TIRCHHI NAZAR HAI....of RK's BARSAAT was synonymous with Cuckoo and was a great hit.
I also remember her dance number in YAHUDI of 1959, and here she actually dances along with a very young Helen.

Nigar Sultana we remember as BAHAAR of the epic MUGHAL-E-AZAM. But her daughter Heena Kauser did not do well in Bollywood. She was scaled down to doing Mujra numbers in many movie. However, I think her first movie as a heroine was in HATIM TAI of early seventies (not to be confused with the more famous movie of that name starring Shakeela).

NASIR.

Kuldeep Kaur died quite young.
That was in the year 1955-56 I think.
Got septic from a nail when their house was being built. Her son stays at Ludhiana (Punjab)/Mumbai. She was a top class vamp with that distinctive sharp nose.


Like a lot of the history of early Hindi cinema, Cuckoo remains in the shadows and little is known about her or even her real name. Except that her always graceful, sometimes languorous, sometimes naughty, but always seductive screen presence became a must that drew in the audiences for almost 20 years. Her debut in 1945 was an instant hit. It was in Pehli Nazar (remember mukesh song dil jalta hai to jalne de) and in the space of just the next five years, she had appeared in an incredible 49 films, including Mehboob Khan's "Anokhi Ada" (1948), H. S. Rawail's ``Patanga" (1949) and Devendra Goel's ``Aankhen" (1950). The only major filmmaker of the time who did not feature Cuckoo in his films was V. Shantaram. In a lot of her films, her role was just a song but its impact was so electrifying that distributors considered it almost as indispensable as the heroine. Like the Helen-Asha combination later on, in many of these songs, Cuckoo's screen `voice' was Shamshad Begum. Together, they were responsible for some unforgettable hits. Pee
aaye aakar chale bhi gaye from bazar (1949) was one amongst them.

Fast forward to 1958. ``Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi." A film whose songs almost became more popular than the film itself. ``Hum they, woh thi," ``Ek ladki bheegi bhaagi se,", ``Paanch rupaiya," etc., etc. But there was one more song that S. D. Burman had composed for the film — ``Hum tumhare hai zara, ghar se nikal kardekh lo." Forgotten, lost in the overpowering popularity of the other numbers, but very important for one reason. It was a mujra number picturised on two dancers. Who both moved with such exquisite, co-ordinated grace, their fluid movements and their lovely faces making for such a sweet, innocent seduction. One of the dancers was Cuckoo, 13 years after her debut, still as enthralling as ever, as she showed off her mastery not only of kathak but of the come-hither look. The other dancer who matched Cuckoo, grace for grace, tease for tease, was a beautiful almond-eyed girl. In the credits, it said ``Dancers - Cuckoo and Helen.

Thanks Mahesh for informative inputs. Other dancer was Helen only.

Reeth, here's another article that I found on actress Nutan; this one is quite recent ( June 4th '07 ).
With your consent I am posting it here.

Nutan: A walk down the memory lane

Monday, June 04, 2007
10:10 IST

If it was not for her mother, Indian cinema could have lost the opportunity of having the privilege of having an all- time great actress like Nutan, an actress who created a niche for herself and left a mark that generations can never erase or forget. And on her birthday, take you back in time, remembering her!


Nutan Samarth was the eldest daughter of Shobhana Samarth, one of the most renowned actresses of the silent era who also ruled supreme during the early days of the talkies. She specialized in playing the goddess in most of the film she did. The mother wanted her daughter to follow in her footsteps and be an actress in films. Her relatives, friends and contemporaries however tried their best to tell her that she was beautiful even as a mother but her daughter who was in her teens had nothing in her that could give them any reason why her daughter could make it an actress.


They said Nutan was " all skin and bones" which was not how an actress was expected to be. They said she had a face that had all kinds of faults which could never be rectified. They said she did not even know the basics of dancing and had a voice that was too shrill. But the mother had full faith in her " saint" ( that is what the mother called her because she was soft, silent, sober, very serene and very different from all the other girls of her age).


Her faith received a big short in the arm and all the reasons to silence her daughter's critics when two big names, Seth Chandulal Shah and K. Asif ( who was later to make " Mughal – E- Azam") signed Nutan to play the leading lady with Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor as the two heros. The film unfortunately failed to take of for some serious reasons but the mother did not give up hope. She turned a producer herself and launched Nutan as the leading lady in a film called " Hamari Beti" (1950), a very significant title symbolizing the pride the mother had in her daughter. The film proved to be a showcase for Nutan's hidden talent.

The expressions on her face and in her eyes were noticed by all the leading filmmakers but some of them hesitatingly told the powerful star- mother that it would do her daughter a world of good if something was done about what they called her "figure". The mother took their advice seriously and packed her daughter off to La Chatelaine, the well known Swiss finishing school where young girls from all over the world were groomed into young women confident and capable of facing the challenges of the world.

When Nutan came back she was not the same Nutan any longer. She had mastered the art of being a lady willing to face the world on her own. A new actress called Nutan was born and what followed was a glorious chapter in the history of Indian cinema being written step by step.


Nutan was soon one of the most wanted actresses. She started off playing the typical singing- dancing and prancing heroin in entertainers like "Dilli Ka Thug", "Nagina", "Anari", "Chhalia" and a host of other films which proved how good she. She could do any kind of role from the most flippant, frivolous and funny to the most forceful and feisty scenes with an ease that came to her naturally. She was accepted as an all- rounder, a complete actress within a very short time. She was ranked among the top three and was consider the best when it came to sheer performances come on powerful roles that gave her a special place because she added something special, that unknown dimension which even the writers and directors could not bring into the characters.


It was a Nutan wave all the way but the real actress, the powerhouse of the actress in her was still to come. She showed the first sparks of brilliance in a film called "Hum Log". She was the best in serious and sensitive films like "Sone Ki Chidiya", "Sujata" and "Seema". In ‘Seema’ she proved her caliber as an actress comparable to the best anywhere in the world. The same face which was once called ugly and the eyes that were found lifeless and expressionless were now considered her strongest weapons. With just one twist of a muscle or a nerve in her face and one slight movement of her eyes she could convey the kind of emotion like the peaks of sublime love, the depths of despair and the raging fire of anger which hundreds of limes written by the best of writers and explained by the best of the directors could never do. Nutan had which a stage where very few actresses had within just eight year. She had gained immortality as an actresses for herself, an actresses who could be talked about whenever all-time great performances were discussed in any forum, seminar or debate.

It was just at this time in 1959 that Nutan married Rajnish Bahl, a lieutenant in the Navy and was soon mother of a son -Mohnish . Marriage and motherhood many believed was the beginning of the end for Nutan, like it was for many other actresses who had committed the same "mistake". Nutan however proved them all wrong when she struck back like a bold bolt of thunder in Bimal Roy's "Bandini". It was the performance of her lifetime in a role that seemed to have been created only for her because the more you think of any other actresses, however good at any time playing the role of Kalyani in "Bandini" the more you are convinced that no other actress could have played that complex as complex can be character. It was Nutan, the actress par excellence once again proving what extraordinary things she could express with just her face and her eyes. According to writer- lyricist-director Gulzar who got his first break to write a song in "Bandini", Mora gora rang lai le ‘the character Nutanji played in the film was the life of the film. You take away her performance from it and there is nothing but Bimal Roy's genius as a director that can be remembered. Nutanji in "Bandini" haunts me even after forty four years. Kalyani is still alive only because of Nutanji's volatile performance. I have rarely seen a film making such a powerful and everlasting impact on me." That was the feeling with which Bimal Roy guide and many who have seen the film live with.

Nutan was very careful about choosing her role now. She gave greater importance to her role as a real- life mother. Mohnish, became the centre and the meaning of her existence. She however never lost the opportunity whenever she found the strong reason to do a film. Some of the film she did after her marriage and being a mother that are still remembered are "Milan" ( She did some films with the Late Sunil Dutt as her hero), "Saudagar" (with struggling actor called Amitabh Bachchan who confessed that he was totally in awe of Nutan ) and "Kasturi", an art film in which her hardwork done her passionately was wasted because the film was badly released and hardly seen by people.


Time passed and film makers strangely stopped making films with the woman playing the central character. The main and hollow argument of film maker was that films made with women dominating men were not accepted by the Indian audience and therefore rejected by the distributors who put in the money to make films. It was the raj of the hero, the man who dominated every film full of but it was only an actress who could stand out even in the crowd of men looming large even if they didn't have an iota of talent.


And, sadly the only role that came to her now where the roles of the mother of the hero. It was a very difficult decision to take because playing the mother in a typical hindi film was like a good or even a great actress writing her own epitaph, her own and as an actress.


But Nutan decided to take on the challenge and was determined to give the character of the mother in the hindi film a new meaning and new life. She played the mother for the first time in Raj Khosla's " Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki". It was very difficult and different role which Khosla who was very good at hitting female character said he had created only with Nutan in mind and even said he would not have made the film if Nutan had not agreed to play the role.

Asha Parekh played the other mother in the same film but Nutan effortlessly outclassed her by leaps to make the film a landmark and one of the best film made on a strong Indian woman character which was also accepted by the audience and was a very big hit. Nutan then played the mother as the central character in Saawan Kumar Taak's "Saajan Bina Suhagan". She played a mother who keeps the death of her husband a secret from her three young daughter and brings them up independently against all odds.

Her performance was the major highlight which was a block bluster in spite of having a woman in the key role and no strong or saleable hero in it. Sawan Kumar always remembers Nutan with gratitude for establishing him as a filmmaker. It was then Subhash Ghai who took her seriously as a mother as strong character. She played the driving force behind Dilip Kumar ( the two were teamed up for the first time after what could be her first film with him more than forty years ago fizzled out) the police officer out to end the reign of terror unleashed by Dr. Dang (Anupam Kher).She played a mother who insured her children to live and die for mother India. She played a mother again in Ghai's "Meri Jung". She was Anil kapoor's mother who inspired him to fight a one-man battle against injustice. She then played the mother to Sanjay Dutt and Kumar Gaurav in Mahesh Bhatt's "Naam" produced by Rajendra Kumar, a mother torn between her two sons , one gone on the wrong track and other a young man walking the right road in the shadow of his mother. The decision she has to take it what makes all the difference to the film. She played Jeetendra's mother in a badly made film called "Maa Aur Mamata". She finally got the chance she was looking for when she played Mohnish's mother in "Itihaas", a film which went unnoticed which made her very sad and she stopped accepting any more roles of the mother.

She was now busy guiding Mohnish as a mother, spending time on her farmhouse in Mumbra near Mumbai and surprisingly took to spiritualism in a big way. Her only dream was now to see her son established as an actor but had to face setbacks because he was not getting the kind of response she expected. He was finally force to leave for America where he took up a job as a private pilot and left his mother heart-broken. She fell a victim to cancer from which she never recovered and died sixteen years ago leaving landmarks and memories that will be remembered for all time.

She should have lived a little longer because soon after her death Mohnish received a new lease of life and established himself as an actor. His mother should have been alive to see his success. She would have died a happy mother but that was not to be. Alas!

well i m also from ludhiana

i wonder about Nigar's role in mughle azam,if she was positive or negative in film,her character was little confusing

Pehle kyon nayi dassayaa?
You are a kudi or a munda? Your name is also confusing?
Reveal the mystery so that I can address you properly and appropriately

Thanks jassi,noorie,nasir,mahesh for all the inputs......

There have many actresses from various parts of India who have made significant Contributions to the Hindi film Industry along with their contributions to the regional ciema......

Suchitra Sen( D O B 6 April 1931)

Suchitra Sen was easily the most popular actress that Bengali Cinema has ever seen. Her ethereal beauty coupled with her phenomenon screen presence and immense box office popularity, particularly her on-screen pairing with the late Uttam Kumar, gave her a legendary cult status in Bengal. She in fact created a new image in Bengali Cinema of the articulate if tragic heroine carving out an independence space outside that of family and tradition.
She was born Roma Sen in Patna, Bihar. Her debut was in the unreleased Shesh Kothai made in 1952. The following year saw her act opposite Uttam Kumar for the first time in Sharey Chuattar. The film, an effervescent comedy was also the breakthrough film of director Nirmal Dey and was a huge hit at the box-office. However it is remembered more for launching the pair of Kumar and Sen. They went on to become icons of Bengali romantic melodramas for more than twenty years becoming almost a genre into themselves. Their films were famous for the soft-focus close ups of the stars particularly Sen and lavishly mounted scenes of romance against windswept expanses and richly decorated interiors with fluttering curtains and such mnemonic objects as bunches of tube roses etc. Some popular films of the pair include Shap Mochan (1955), Sagarika (1956), Harano Sur (1957), Saptapadi (1961), Bipasha (1962) and Grihadah (1967).

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While her supremacy in Bengal was unquestioned, Suchitra's forays into Hindi Cinema were far too infrequent and comparatively less successful. It is hard to fathom the reason for this. While her screen presence in her Hindi films was as stunning as ever, perhaps because of language problems her performances look a trifle stilted and reined in. Her first Hindi film was Bimal Roy's Devdas (1955) where she played Parvati to Dilip Kumar's Devdas. It was her finely honed performance that gave the film its necessary tone of lofty virtue, noble sacrifice and loyal devotion. Musafir (1957), Hrishikesh Mukherjee's episodic film of marriage, birth and death and Champakali (1957) failed to set the box-office alight and even her most uninhibited Hindi film performance in Bombay ka Babu (1960) opposite Dev Anand was plagued by troubles between her and the director, Raj Khosla. Mamta (1966) based on Uttar Falguni by the same director Asit Sen, saw her carry the film on her shoulder with a strong performance as both the mother, a courtesan and the daughter, a lawyer. She made a huge impact with Gulzar's Aandhi (1975) playing a powerful woman politician whose marriage had broken up since her husband, Sanjeev Kumar, opposed her having a career after marriage. Aandhi however ran into controversy d