just yesterday on hindustan times i read abt cuckoo,that it was mystry where she suddenly disappear..but i dont think her life or even death was a mystry..

goes to show the kind of attention yesteryear actresses get............she is supposed to have died in a nursing home in Mumbai uncared for and under pathetic circumstances....

same thing will happen to my fav nanda...(cuckoo or any other actress who died in ignorance were not big stars(i mean if we go by masses,they were not known faces in masses,or their stardom was not big,coz i personally feel that actual stardom to actors come during 50s)..but if i thought abt nanda or sadhana i feel arree they were big stars..and they will too gonna face same thing...
tday media is playing dirty games,they went on givin full details to b grade rakhee sawant's stupid statements..but just remember old stars only when they die..they went on giving details aish-abhi marriage,but could not show a proper news abt vicky arora's death(vicky was not big actor,these people even ignored my other fav hrishida)..nbody care to show a single news when joy mukherjee was admitted in hospital..i think if they covered aish-abhi marriage,now they should also cover aish's preganancy..and when she would be goin through pains..they should give us every xtra details..(abhi pain shuru ho gaya,baccha bahar aa raha hai,bacha ho gaya hai)or they should fix camera in delivery room
i know i should not write all this..but i cant help it,i m kinda angry at the moment..

The price of Materialism in our lives! America is the most materialist country in the world, I think. The eastern culture and religions have always held parents in great esteem. Take the Hindu Culture where ayoung Shravan bears literally the weight of both his parents and takes them to all holy destinations, serving them. Or in Islam, where Paradise is said to be under mother's feet and father is said to be RAHMA or mercy, where children are advised not to say even UFF to parents, and to serve them when they reach the old age when they are also told to submit to them. All this means that serving parents comes from the voice of conscience - the conscience that has developed the fear of the Almighty God.

NASIR.

Basic decency is more than enough...letting the old people live a carefree and stress free life is not asking for too much, and Nasir we have many many such cases here in India, that's why you see a growing number of old age homes and clinics...i feel that we are just a few steps behind the west, that's all...

Here is Nanda

Nanda - born 8 January 1939

Nanda was the good little girl of Hindi films - she was the Snow White who blushed rose red at the slightest hint of any flirtation by the hero.

Blessed with a face innocent of any malice or calculation, Nanda is remembered even today, as much for being Baby Nanda or the chhoti bahen of her earlier films as for her successful career as the soft-spoken heroine of some 40 films thereafter.

Not that Nanda didn't try to shatter her image. In Aashiq, she played a manipulative wife while in Yash Chopra's Ittefaq, she was the murderess. In The Train she effectively donned the glamour doll mantle, too.

She comes from a show-business family. Her father was Master Vinayak was a successful actor-director in the 1930s and 1940s. He died when Nanda was just a child. The family faced hard times. She became a child artiste and helped out her family by working in films like Jagguin the early 50’s.

Her paternal uncle V. Shantaram gave Baby Nanda ( her screen name then ) a big break by casting her in a successful brother-sister saga Toofan Aur Diya (1956)

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She bravely refused to give in to the temptation of a regular income which would come with being shackled by a long-term contract to a big studio. Instead, she played sister to stars like Raaj Kumar (Dulhan) or Dev Anand (Kaala Bazaar) and doing small roles in big films like Dhool Ka Phool.

Nanda's ability to arouse the audience's protective instincts was pronounced even then - most noticeably in two weepies: Bhabhi (1957) and Chhoti Bahen (1959).

She received her first Filmfare nomination as Best Supporting Actress for Bhabhi (1957), but she claims that she didn't win because there was lobbying involved.[1].

Even while she was playing opposite A-listers like Dev Anand in Hum Dono and Raj Kapoor in Aashiq, Nanda sportingly agreed to star in films opposite newcomers like Dharmendra (Mera Kasoor Kya Hai) and Manoj Kumar (Bedaag).

She played the title role in L.V. Prasad's Chhoti Bahen and the movie was a big hit, and then on she started playing lead role’s like one of Dev Anand’s heroine in Hum Dono (1961). She was the heroine in B R Chopra's songless film Kanoon (1960), which was very unusual back then. She won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for "Aanchal" (1960).

She starred with Shashi Kapoor in a lot of films while he was a newcomer, but they were not successful. But they later had a big hit with Jab Jab Phool Khile (1965). In this film Nanda played a westernised role for the first time and it helped her image. Her favorite song that was famously picturized on her in the film was "Yeh Samaa." (Shashi Kapoor would later declare that Nanda was his favorite heroine.) She would continue to play heroine roles throughout the 1960's and signed with new leading men, such as Rajesh Khanna in the songless suspense thriller Ittefaq (1969) for which she received a Filmfare nomination as Best Actress. After Khanna became a star, he signed two more films with her, the thriller "The Train" (1969) and a comedy "Joru Ka Ghulam" (1972).

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She has acted in well over sixty films with a wide range of actors....Shashi kapoor,Sunil dutt,Raj kapoor,Dev Anand,Dharmendra,Manoj Kumar,Rajendra kumar,Rajesh Khanna , Jetendra even Jagdeep..


The dichotomy between Nanda's earlier homely image and the demands of a more glamorous era in the late sixties saw her career being caught in the middle. Roles in hit films like Gumnaam (1965) didn't really make much demand on Nanda's indubitable histrionic prowess.

She had often been compared to her senior, the legendary Meena Kumari. The two finally came together in Abhilasha (1968) but the film didn't prove memorable.

some of her memorable films...

Mazdoor(1983)
Prem Rog(1982)
Shor(1972)
Joroo Ka Ghulam (1972)
Adhikar(1971)
The Train (1970)
Dharti kahe pukar ke(1969)
Ittefaq (1969)
Gumnaam (1965)
Jab Jab Phool Khile (1965)
Aaj Aur Kal (1963)
Aashiq (1962)
Ummeed(1962)
Hum Dono (1961)
Kanoon (1960)
Aanchal(1960)
Usne kaha tha(1960)
Choti Bahen (1959)
Barkha(1959)
Bhabhi (1957)
Toofan aur Deeya (1956)

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In 1969, Nanda gave an enigmatic, finely-nuanced performance in Yash Chopra's songless whodunit, Ittefaq. Her oh-so-sweet image played its part in making the film a success --- Nanda was probably the last person the audience thought would turn out the murderer.
Films with new superstar Rajesh Khanna (The Train, Joru Ka Ghulam) followed but the actress couldn't adjust to the new working atmosphere of the seventies. After a touching cameo in Manoj Kumar's Shor (1972), Nanda gradually retreated from the film industry.

She surprised many people, including herself, when she returned in the early eighties to do precisely three films -- coincidentally all three Padmini Kolhapure starrers. Her histrionic maturity was clearly evident as the aging Devdasi in Ahista Ahista, as Dilip Kumar's wife in Mazdoor and as the hapless mother in Raj Kapoor's Prem Rog

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Sadly, she chose to retreat into the shadows thereafter. Waheeda Rehman, who had been friends with her ever since they co-starred in Kaala Bazaar, pestered her to get married.Nanda's brothers also supposedly had brought home many suitors for her, but she turned them down. In 1992, a middle-aged Nanda became engaged to director Manmohan Desai at the urging of Waheeda Rehman. But he died tragically, before they could tie the knot, and Nanda has remained unmarried . The director's subsequent death made Nanda retreat further into her shell.

Today, Nanda lives in her plush, sea-facing residence in Mumbai, a virtual recluse cocooned by close friends and family.

thanks alot for this nanda profile..she was one actress who was tagged in one image,but she was always went on breaking her image..a sister to leading lady..a simple to glmoures girl...a good girl to bad girl...actresses were afraid to experiment with their roles..but at that nanda and mala sinha were really very experimental..i guess ur next profile will be abt mala sinha

You are amazing Jassi ..... ..... i have already profiled Mala Sinha.....

You guys are great, I love reading all this stuff because I am of that era and grew up with all these stars, brings back so many memories and since I moved away from India long time ago, HF has been a great site for renewing old memories. Keep up the great work and thanks!!!
RKA

Thank you RKA

what were her roles are all abt in dulhan,ashiq,akashdeep,mera qasoor kya hai and nartaki
i feel in these films she was having good roles..but i have not seen these films..

i think her work is very underrated in films like usne kaha tha and aaj aur kal..she was grt in these two films...

yes she did have good roles in all the films that you have mentioned.....i have seen Aakashdeep, Aashiq n
Mera qasoor kya hai...
Usne kaha tha and Aaj aur Kal are her major films....esp Usne kaha tha, good film with great music..

but what were her roles

Sadhana - Born September 2, 1941

Sadhana's name and persona conjures up images of stylish sophistication and trend setting fashion statements. She was the queen of style for the Indian women of the 60s. Sadhana is at the top of every mention of style and fashion in Bollywood....


Sadhana, born September2, 1941 in Karachi ,( Sind British India ).Her family moved from Karachi during Partition in 1947. Her cousin was actor Hari Shivdasani (father of later actress Babita)

Hari helped Sadhana enter films. She was a chorus girl in Raj Kapoor's Shree 420 in 1955. She played a second lead in a Sindhi film called Abana (1958), which got her noticed and entry to an acting school. The school was run by film producer Sashadhar Mukherjee, and also had another aspiring actress named Asha Parekh as a student. When Mukherjee was casting Dil Deke Dekho (1959), he gave director Nasir Hussain a choice between Sadhana and Asha Parekh to play the heroine; Hussain chose Asha.

However, for his next project, Love in Simla (1960), Mukherjee again gave his director, R.K. Nayyar (Raj Kapoor's assistant) a say in who should play the heroine. Nayyar chose Sadhana, and she was paired with Mukherjee's own son Joy Mukherjee in the film.

With her entrance on the scene in "Love in Simla" [1960] Sadhana brought a fresh new image to the Hindi film heroine. Hers was a look of 60s modernism that coincided with the petite slimed down fashion trends that were taking place in Paris and New York and was exemplified by the Hollywood actress Audrey Hepburn. It was Sadhana who brought this look to the popular fore in India while giving the 'Breakfast At Tiffanies' glamour her own particular Indian flavor.


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R.K. asked Sadhana to style her hair with a fringe (like Audrey Hepburn); this hairstyle later became a craze and is still referred to as the "Sadhana cut" in India.

Sadhana's film Mere Mehboob (1963) with Rajendra Kumar was one that helped make her career and is said to have some of the most beautiful closeups in early Technicolor. However, it was Raj Khosla's "Woh Kaun Thi?" (1964) which really became a landmark in her career and gave her the image of the "mystery girl," where her spellbinding performance kept everyone guessing to the very end. The film became a huge hit and earned her her first Filmfare nomination as Best Actress. Khosla was so enthralled with her performance that he would cast her in two more big-budget mystery films, Mera [/b[b]]Saaya (1966) and Anita (1967). She would earn her second Filmfare nomination as Best Actress for the blockbuster Waqt (1965), where she set another fashion trend with her tight churidar kurtas.

Sadhana continued acting in films and became one of the biggest stars of the 60's...

Sadhana had stated that she subconsciously modeled her acting style after her idol, Nutan. Most of her films were major hits, and many of them are still remembered as all time classics. Her films such as Mere Mehboob, Ek Musafir Ek Hasina, Raaj Kumar, and Arzoo were known for their romantic plots and beautiful music...
She did several films with director Raj Khosla: "Ek Musafir Ek Hasina (1962), "Woh Kaun Thi" (1964), "Mera Saaya" (1966), "Anita" (1967), and an uncompleted film co-starring Dev Anand, titled "Sajan ki Galiyan."



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Her Memorable films....


Love in Simla
Parakh
Hum Dono
Asli Naqli
Manmauji
Ek Musafir Ek Hasina
Mere Mehboob
Woh Kaun Thi
Raj Kumar
Waqt
Arzoo
Mera Saya
Prem Patra
Gaban
Anita
Intaqam
Ishq par zor nahin
Ek phool do Mali
Vandana
Amaanat
Geeta mera naam
Mehfil

She also fell in love with her first film's director R.K.Nayyar, but she was only 16 years old, and her parents threatened the 22-year-old Nayyar with legal action if he didn't end his relationship. He became scared and backed away.....
Sadhana also worked well with her leading men, Shammi Kapoor, Sunil Dutt, Manoj Kumar,Shashi Kapoor,Rajendra Kumar, and Raj Kapoor. In fact, it was Raj Kapoor who reintroduced her to her first film director, R.K. Nayyar. They fell in love again, and married in 1966. Their marriage lasted until his death in the 1990s. They were some bad times for her. She had no children because of her miscarriages. She had health problems with her thyroid and went to Boston for treatment and recovered and delivered more hit films, such as Inteqam (1969).
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From 1959 to 1974, she starred in 33 Hindi films. She directed and starred in her last film playing dual roles in Geeta Mera Naam (1974). She wanted to end her acting career in Hindi films just as she started, in a starring role as a young heroine. She didn't want to play supporting character roles as a old mother or a bhabhi (sister-in-law), so she retired as an actress and formed a production company with her husband. She wanted her fans to remember her as a young, beautiful, heroine.

Sadhana on Lata Mangeshkar....

Lata has never told me but I intuitively feel that she is very fond of me. Though I entered the industry in 1960, I didn't exchange a word with her for years. She exuded such an aura I would be left speechless. Finally in 1967 when she was recording the song, Kaise rahoon chup ki maine pee hi kya hai for my husband R K Nayyar's film, Intequam I mustered up the courage to speak to her. The song was to be picturised on me. I said, "My husband hummed this song to me and I was wondering what kind of song is this." I illustrated my point by rendering the song in the besura way my husband had. Lata laughed like a little girl and quizzed me, "Is this the way he rendered this song? I will sing it for you now." And lo! What a world of difference it made when she sang it......

She has sung some incredible numbers for me. The Lata Mangehkar-Madan Mohan combination worked wonders in my starrers, Woh Kaun Thi and Mera Saaya. Once I was shooting a song for Raj Khosla's black-and-white whodunit, Woh Kaun Thi in Simla. Since Lata was away to America, music director Madan Mohan had temporarily dubbed the song, Naina barse rimjhim rimjhim in his own voice!

But the onlookers in Simla were obviously not aware of this and the shooting left them nonplussed. Much to our embarrassment, a member of the crowd scoffed, 'Oye chhaddon yaar, yeh picture kaun dekhega. Kudi gaa rahee hai, woh bhi mard di aawaz mein!'

Though both Lata and Asha have given playback for my songs (Lata much more than Asha) and both are very gifted singers, I think Lata's voice suited me better. If you ask me, Lata is Lata. She is peerless."

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A generation of Bollywood actresses copied Sadhana in mannerism, look, and style. She will always be remembered as a fashion icon and as such one tends to forget her other qualities. Sadhana possessed that intangible 'star quality' that manifested in an ethereal and enticing screen presence. She also had great comic timing and natural grace.
Much has been written about Sadhana and she is one of the legends of Bollywood. Today She is retired and lives out of the public spotlight. Sadhana is well aware of the magic she created on screen in the 1960s. Sadhana is active in her own private social life and declines to be photographed in public giving the rational of wanting her fans to remember her the way she was when she so captivated audiences in her memorable moments on screen...
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sadhana had diffrences with raj kapoor,that a film starring both was completed with their diffrent shoots..
raj kapoor later offered her bobby,rishi's mother's role but she refused it
she was supposed to do basera with nutan,but film was shelved,years later rakhee and rekha did that film together,sadhana was supposed to do rekha's role...

I forgot the name of the actress who was heroine in film 'Do Kaliyan', IMHO she is the one who had the best of expressions specially in songs.

Mala Sinha you mean.

I thought it was the other way around.
Raj Kapoor was rather nervous of Sadhana's 'towering' height, she and him offscreen looked something like a certain ex-Mrs. Rushdie.
They did work together in Dulha Dulhan.

Reeth, lovely pics.

Noorie

Raj Kapoor was instumental in helping Sadhana find R.K.Nayyar and lost love....




most welcome noorie...

Yes thats the one noorie! good actress!

Asha Parekh ( Born October 2, 1942 )

Asha Parekh, with her glamorous yet good girl image starred in a serpentine string of
box-office triumphs. With pert allure and indigenous fashion, Asha headlined the Sixties' colour
blitzkrieg along with Sadhana and Saira Banu. Her films were essentially cheerful, lighthearted
entertainers. Today, they may not count as classics, but are redolent of a more gentler and amiable age
of entertainers...

Asha Parekh was born into a middle-class Gujarati household on October 2, 1942 in Bangalore, Karnataka
to a Hindu father and Muslim mother.......Her mother enrolled her in Indian classical dance classes at
an early age and Asha excelled at dancing to the point where she performed at stage shows and private
functions. She started her career as a child artiste under the screen name Baby Asha Parekh in
the film Aasmaan (1952). Famed film director Bimal Roy saw her dance at a stage function
and cast her at the tender age of twelve in Baap Beti (1954). The film's failure disappointed her
and even though she did a couple more child roles, she quit to resume her schooling..... At sixteen she
decided to try acting again and make her debut as a heroine, but she was rejected from Vijay Bhatt's
Goonj Uthi Shehnai (1959), because the filmmaker claimed she wasn't star material. The very next
day, film producer Subodh Mukherjee and writer-director Nasir Hussain cast her as the
heroine in Dil Deke Dekho (1959) opposite Shammi Kapoor which made her a
huge star.

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The scrubbed-clean teenager who represented the new Indian youth with her trendy trouser suits and
who sang and danced so prettily in Dil Deke Dekho did not lack co-stars. She was soon cast opposite
Dev Anand (Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai), Rajendra Kumar (Gharana) and Joy Mukherji
(Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon

The film Dil dekhe dekho also led to a long and fruitful association with Hussain. He went on to
cast her as the heroine in six more of his films: Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai (1961), Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon
(1963), Teesri Manzil (1966), Baharon Ke Sapne (1967), Pyar Ka Mausam (1969), and Caravan (1971).
She also did a cameo role for his film Manzil Manzil (1984). He also got her involved in distribution of
films for 21 years, starting with Baharon Ke Sapne (1967). She was primarily known as a glamour
girl/excellent dancer/tomboy in most of her films, until director Raj Khosla gave her a serious image
by casting her in tragedienne roles in three of her favorite films: Do Badan (1966), Chirag (1969),
and Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1978). Director Shakti Samanta gave her more dramatic roles in
her other favorite films, Pagla Kahin Ka (1970), and Kati Patang (1970), the latter earned her the
Filmfare Best Actress Award. Many important directors repeated her several times in their films, such
as Vijay Anand, Mohan Segal and J.P. Dutta.


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Just when it looked as though Asha was fated to be essay lighthearted roles in a string of musicals, she
made an impact in Ziddi (1964). Asha played a characteristic no-nonsense tomboy who cavorts around
with a cute baby elephant for company. She surprised many in her emotional scenes, which captured
her painful passage to adulthood.

The true efflorescence of Asha's talent came in the year 1966, which saw her star in four successful films:
Vijay Anand's masterly suspenseful musical Teesri Manzil reteamed her with Shammi Kapoor,
Love In Tokyo gave her a chance to dance and emote in picturesque Japan, Aaye Din Bahaar
Ke started a successful teaming with Dharmendra (five successes, no flops), and Raj Khosla's
rather Do Badan offered her the opportunity to play tragedienne.

Now on the popularity charts, Asha sought further histrionic validity. But the public seemed to prefer her in
fashion plate roles like Upkar (1967), Shikar (1968), and Aaya Sawan Jhoom Ke (1969), rather than her
deglamourised roles in Baharon Ke Sapne (1967), or Chiraag (1969).

Asha finally got the much coveted Best Actress Award in Kati Patang (1970). As the widow whose
watery smile hides a painful secret, Asha bravely kept her white sari-clad character shorn of commercial
glitz. A correctly understated Asha was well cast; her innate personality traits made it easy for the
audience to sympathise with her.

Kati Patang was followed by hits like Aan Milo Sajna, Nasir Hussain's Caravan and
Raj Khosla's Mera Gaon Mera Desh in the early seventies. But a younger and bolder breed of
heroines like Mumtaz and Sharmila Tagore now ruled the roost. Asha cut down on her work
and went on a an extended trip abroad for her dance shows. When she returned in 1973, her career had
lost its early heat.
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Memorable Films...

Hathyaar (1989)
Kaalia (1981)
Bulundi (1980)
Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1978)
Udhar Ka Sindoor (1976)
Zakhmee (1975)
Heera (film) (1973)
Samadhi (film) (1972)
Rakhi Aur Hathkadi (1972)
Caravan (1971)
Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971)
Nadaan (1971)
Mahal (1970 film) (1970)
Bhai Bhai (1970)
Naya Raasta (1970)
Aan Milo Sajna (1970)
Kati Patang (1970)
Pagla Kahin Ka (1970)
Jawan Mohabbat (1970)
Sajan (film) (1969)
Aya Sawan Jhoom Ke (1969)
Chirag (1969)
Pyar Ka Mausam (1969)
Kahin Aur Chal (1968)
Shikar (1968)
Kanyadaan (1968)
Baharon Ke Sapne (1967)
Upkar (1967)
Aaye Din Bahar Ke (1966)
Do Badan (1966)
Love in Tokyo (1966)
Teesri Manzil (1966)
Mere Sanam (1965)
Ziddi (1964 film) (1964)
Bharosa (1963)
Chaaya (1963)
Bin Bidal Barsaat (1963)
Meri Surat Teri Ankhen (1963)
Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon (1963)
Apna Banake Dekho (1962)
Ghunghat (1961)
Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai (1961)
Gharana (1961
Hum Hindustani (1960)
Dil Deke Dekho (1959)
Aasha (1957)
Ustad (1957) (as child artiste)
Baap Beti (1954) (as child artiste)
Aasmaan( 1952 )

Awards and Nominations

Filmfare Award Nomination as Best Actress for Chirag(1969)
Filmfare Best Actress Award for Kati Patang(1970)
Filmfare Award Nomination as Best Supporting Actress for Udhar Ka Sindoor(1976)
Filmfare Award Nomination as Best Supporting Actress for Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1978)
Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award (2002)
International Indian Film Academy Award for outstanding achievement in Indian cinema (2006)
Pune International Film Festival--Lifetime Achievement Award (2007)
Bollywood Award--Lifetime Achievement Award (2007)

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Asha acted in her mother tongue language of Gujarati by starring in three Gujarati films at the height of
her fame in Hindi films, the first film being Akhand Saubhagyavati (1963), which became a huge hit..

She became a television director in the early 1990s with a Gujarati serial Jyoti. She formed a
production company Akruti and produced serials like Palash ke Phool, Baaje Payal, Kora Kagaz
and a comedy Dal Mein Kaala. She was the president of the Cine Artistes' Association from 1994
to 2000. Asha was the first female chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (Censor Board) of
India. She held the post from 1998 to 2001 for which she received no salary but plenty of controversy for
censoring films and for not giving clearance to Shekhar Kapur's Elizabeth. Later, she became the
treasurer of the Cine and Television Artists Association (CINTAA) and also was later elected to be one of its
officebearers.[5].

Asha stopped acting in 1995 to pursue directing and producing television serials....


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Though there were several offers for marriage all through the seventies, nothing worked out. Asha
zealously guarded her independence...

Asha has remained unmarried, claiming that her reputation of being unapproachable made people hesitate
in asking for her hand in marriage. There were rumors that she was romantically involved with the already
married Nasir Hussain[11]. In her later years, Asha said that she had a longtime boyfriend before the
relationship ended[12].

Today, she concentrates on her dance academy Kara Bhavan, which has produced many skilled dancers.
The Asha Parekh Hospital in Santa Cruz, Mumbai is named after her because of her many contributions.
Her considerable wealth provides for many of her social and charitable causes....

When asked if she missed having a husband and children, her response was: "I don’t think so. There was
a time when I did want to get married. I used to love children, I still love children, but now I feel that I am
happy I am not married and don’t have kids, because I don’t think I would have been able to cope up with
them."

Trivia

Asha acted in these unreleased films: "Sweetheart" (1970), "Chor Mandali" (1982), and
"jaan e jaana".
She has claimed to have turned down four hit films that Sharmila Tagore later accepted: Kashmir
Ki Kali (1964), An Evening in Paris (1967), Aradhana (1969)(Tagore won the Filmfare Best Actress
Award), Choti Bahu (1971).
She turned down two hit films that later went to Hema Malini: Sharafat (1970) and Seeta Aur Geeta
(1971), for which she won the Filmfare Best Actress Award.
She also turned down the hit film Yaadon Ki Baarat (1973) by her longtime director and mentor
Nasir Hussain. The role went to Zeenat Aman

i was not knowing abt these facts abt her refused roles
infact seeta aur geeta was also refused by mumtaz

if she refused aradhana and sharmila won best actress award,than sharmila also refused kati patang and asha got best actress award

i just read an old mumtaz interview where she said she deserved best actress award for tere mere sapne(she even did not get nominee)..she said asha did nothing special in kati patang(i really felt bad on mumtaz's remarks,she should not have made such remarks)..

i even wonder at filmfare awards sometimes coz kati patang was released in 1970,but that year mumtaz won it for khilona and asha was not nominated,but asha got nominee in 1971 awards and she won best actress award..even they did same thing at guide time too..guide was released in 1965,but it got nominee in 1966's awards

No doubt that Mumtaz has given a wonderful performance in Tere mere Sapne......Jasssi don't take these
comments that you read in gossip columns seriously....
I think in the earlier years probably the awards were given for the films belonging to the previous yr........

?????

but did not get this year thing..
ofcourse if a film is released in 2006..award will be given in 2007..but as kati patang was released in 1970..asha got the award in 1972..same with apnapan released in 1977,but reena got award in 1979..also guide(1965)..but award were given in 1967..coz they count guide as release of 1966 and others too in same way..

TANUJA ( Born september 23, 1943 )


One wonders if she were not Nutan's little sister if Tanuja would have ever been in Bollywood? She was
not classically beautiful nor was Tanuja especially talented or could she really dance very well. But then
there is something about Tanuja something fresh and infectious, endearing. She is so darn cute, that's it.
She bounces and pouts and makes girly faces, thoroughly modern 70s girly faces. Tanuja was that rich
father's spoilt daughter who followed her headstrong heart that you see in so many Bolywood films of the
late 60s and 70s. She had that part down pat....

Tanuja was born in Mumbai into a family of four children as Tanuja Samarth to poet Kumarsen
Samarth and his wife Shobhna Samarth. Her mother was a famous 1930s and 1940s actress
and her father was a great Maharashtrian film director. When she was very young her parents separated......

When Shobhana Samarth decided to launch her daughter Nutan with Hamari Beti (1950), she also gave
her younger daughter Tanuja a break as a child actor. The film did not do much for either of Shobhana's betis.

Soon, Tanuja was packed off abroad where she fine-tuned her etiquette and familiarised herself with
English, French and German. She returned with only a working knowledge of Hindi but willingly shared
screen space with her now famous sister Nutan for their home production Chhabili (1960). This film too
failed to provide the wind below Tanuja's wings.

Tanuja's true transformation into an adult heroine came with Hamari Yaad Aayegi (1961), helmed by
director Kidar Sharma who had discovered Raj Kapoor, Madhubala and Geeta Bali. Ever up to monkey
tricks, young Tanuja was even slapped by the veteran director for giggling during a dramatic scene....

Fortunately, the film also proved to be a slap on the face of her detractors. Playing a street waif, she got
her first recognition as a spontaneous actress...

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But the film did not register on the box-office radar and is remembered only for chanteuse Mubarak
Begum's curse-in-verse, Kabhi tanhaiyon mein yun, hamari yaad aayegi......

Through the 1960's Her roles were a curious clutch of supporting roles in major films like Aaj Aur Kal
(her vivacious character provided a striking personality contrast to a morose Nanda), and Benazir (with
Meena Kumari and Ashok Kumar); a role with comedian Mehmood (Bhoot Bangla) and lead parts opposite
medium impact newcomers like Dharmendra in Chand Aur Suraj.

When Guru Dutt died, leaving Tanuja's big hope Baharein Phir Bhi Aayegi incomplete, Dharmendra replaced
him. Mala Sinha may have had the more dramatic role, but it was Tanuja whom Dharmendra loved and
serenaded.

But the big solo hit eluded her. Tanuja's progress was as arduous as any pilgrim's. Her late 1960s roles
ranged from good (she sizzled in Jewel Thief), to bad (a go-nowhere role in Hema Malini's debut Sapnon Ka
Saudagar), to indifferent (Nai Roshni, Wahan Ke Log, Juari). Creatively, the bright spark was Do Dooni Char
co-starring Kishore Kumar. In this adaptation of Shakespeare's Comedy Of Errors, Tanuja displayed
formidable comic timing.

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During the mid 60's Tanuja started a parallel career in Bengali movies in Kolkata starting with the film
Deya Neya (1963) where she was paired opposite the stalwart of Bengali cinema, UttamKumar
She followed it up with many other memorable hit films like Anthony-Firingee (1967) andRajkumari
(1970). Tanuja had fantastic on-screen chemistry with the then superstar Soumitra [/b[b]]Chatterjee
with whom she made some huge box office hits like Teen Bhuvaner Parey (1969), Prothom
Kadam Phool etc.

Tanuja spoke Bengali so well onscreen that in those days many of her fans in West Bengal refused to
believe that her mother tongue was actually Marathi........

It was her unusual pairing with Jeetendra in Jeene Ki Raah (1969) that catapulted Tanuja into
stardom. She played a wheelchair-bound rich girl who is spurred to walk after she is smitten by
Jeetendra But, unknown to her, he is already married. Tanuja stayed true to her zingy personality
and dried off any excessive melodrama.

In the same year Tanuja won the Best Supporting Actress Filmfare Award for Paisa Ya Pyar. Tanuja
was flooded with films, and some like Pavitra Papi (1970) showcased a more sedate side of the actress....

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In Haathi Mere Saathi (1971), she shared space with elephants, big cats and Rajesh Khanna..
Rajesh Khanna and Tanuja did two more films together, Mere Jeevan Saathi and Humshakal, but they
proved to be also-rans. Tanuja then refused the role eventually played by Zeenat Aman in the
ground-breaking Hare Rama Hare Krishna as she did not want to play Dev Anand's sister.

Some TradeMark films of tanuja


1961 Hamari Yaad Aayegi - Ashok Sharma
1961 Memdidi
1966 Baharein Phir Bhi Aayengi - Dharmendra
1967 Jewel Thief - Dev Anand
1968 Do dooni char - Kishore kumar
1968 Izzat - Dharmendra
1969 Paisa Ya Pyar -Sharad
1969 Jeene Ki Raah - Jeetendra
1969 Haathi Mere Saathi -Rajesh Khanna
1972 Anubhav -Sanjeev Kumar
1972 Ek Baar Muskara Do - Joy Mukherjee
1974 Imtihaan -Vinod Khanna


She has acted in more than 120 films....


Tanuja was eminently interesting when she tried something different, like Basu Bhattacharya's
Anubhav (1971). She let Bhattacharya shoot the film in her apartment and was rewarded with a
memorable role of a wife caught between an unfulfilling marriage (to Sanjeev Kumar) and an
ex-lover (Dinesh Thakur). In a vastly underrated performance, Tanuja made evident with the subtlest
of gestures the many shifts in her character's psyche.

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A whirlwind romance with Mukherjee scion Shomu, her Ek Baar Muskara Do (1972)
director, resulted in Tanuja getting married in 1973 and taking it easy after daughter Kajol's birth on
August 5, 1974.

Tanuja was wheelchair-bound once again (a la Jeene Ki Raah) in one of her last films as a heroine in
,Imtihaan (1974). She was cast more to type in Humrahi, a rollicking comedy which had Tanuja
exchanging barbs and jokes with Randhir Kapoor.

Thereafter, she grittily pulled herself out of a stagnant marriage but was swamped by character roles in films
often starring former heroes. Her Pyar Ki Kahani hero Amitabh Bachchan had to call her
bhabhi in Khuddar (1982).

But the occasional powerful character like in Raj Kapoor's Prem Rog (1982) kept her creative
muse alive and reminded us of her talent and the famous sparkle in her eye........


Awards & Nominations
1967 - Filmfare nomination as Best Supporting Actress for Jewel Thief
1969 - Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for paisa ya pyar

Wonderful reading, this is a great thread and you all have done great work!!! What an amazing and glamrous life though not always the case. Memories keep flooding in after reading all these stories. Thanks!!!
RKA

Tanuja's latest photos


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Thanks a lot for your words of encouragement, RKA

Thank you mahesh........

she never cared length of her roles,like he even accepted film like sapnon ka saudagr where she was to play second fiddle to newcomer hema malini..

Yes she made an impact no matter what her role was??

Saira Banu ( Born 23rd August 1944 )

In the 60s and early 70s for a flashing rhinestone moment Saira Banu was the hottest most popular actress in Bollywood.She was a glamor girl with an incredible hourglass figure....She was the epitome of what is called the look of 'studied artificiality' that characterized the bouffant and color blitzkrieg look of that era. Beehive hairdos, wing-tip eye liner, one inch long artificial eyelashes, Western costume jewelry, dressed in mod or cabaret outfits, they were all part of the Saira Banu reprotroir....
She was someone who could look very Indian despite her western looks. Saira Bano had a way, which the audiences loved....

Saira Banu ,born August 23, 1944, daughter of Naseem Banu one of the most famous and beautiful actress of 1940s , and the granddaughter of the famous playback singer of the yesteryears Shamshad Begum Waheed Khan. She is also the wife of actor Dilip Kumar.......
Saira Banu was born in India in 1944. She made her screen debut in the 1961 film Junglee.

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Saira Banu became a star soon after her first film 'Junglee' with Shammi Kapoor became a runaway success.Though Saira had spent a significant part of her childhood in London, and went to a finishing school, she fit the role of a rustic beauty in Junglee. In this film, Saira Banu was cast as an innocent Kashmiri ki kali who gains the devotion of city slicker Shammi Kapoor.
She was hailed as the new star material and there came many more plum offers on her way. She did everything patiently and selected good movies and continued with her winning formula. Some of her movies are 'Shagird', 'April Fool', 'Aman', 'Bluff Master', 'Shaadi', 'Aayee Milan Ki Bela' and 'Jhuk Gaya Aasman'. Most of her co-stars were the then big time heroes like Joy Mukerji, Biswajeet, Dharmendra and Rajendra Kumar.

Her most famous and enduring roles were the blond NRI in "PURAB AUR PACHHIM" and the would be mermaid in "PADOSAN

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Prominent films

Junglee
Shadi
Bluff master
Door ki Awaz
Aayi milan ki Bela
April Fool
Diwana
pyar mohobbat
Aman
Jhuk gaya aasman
Padosan
Aman
Aao pyar karen
Yeh zindgi kitni haseen hai
Victoria no 203
Purab aur paschim
Bairag
Aadmi aur insan
Resham ki dori
Chaitali
Hera pheri
Zameer
Duniya

In 1966, 22-year-old Saira Banu married 44-year-old Dilip Kumar and despite apprehensions from the media, theirs has been one of the longest lasting marriages in Bollywood

What Saira has to say about Dilip kumar and her marriage...

Saira affirms that she’s ‘old fashioned at heart’. “I was born with a silver spoon, but life’s not been a fairy tale,” she says....

Though Saira today has forayed into production with a Bhojpuri film and TV shows, her world spins around her husband. She shares, “Once Rekha told me, ‘When I see my close-ups in earlier films, I feel it’s been worthwhile. Don’t you miss acting?’ But I said that my priorities are different. There was a point when not working was distressful but not anymore.”

However, being married to a superstar was anything but enviable. “At one time I felt that he didn’t need me. It took me 25-30 years to work at this marriage.” A Dilip devout, Saira ‘couldn’t share her husband with any woman’ (referring to his brief second marriage to Asma). “I stuck on due to my mother.

She’d say, ‘This is the same man who loved and married you. If he’s faltered, you’ve to stand by him. He admitted it was a gross mistake and assured, ‘Main sab theek kardoonga’,” relates Saira adding,

“Today, the realisation that I’m indispensable to him is my success. I’ve reaped the fruits of persistence. People ask me, ‘Don’t you miss children? I say, ‘I have 10 at home in my husband.....
I live to be able to love him.”

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Ever since her marriage to Dilip Kumar in 1966, Saira looked for dramatically challenging roles. Her valiant attempts to establish a reputation as an actress after Gopi, Sagina and Bairaag (all with Dilip Kumar) and films like Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Chaitali met with limited success. She did earn three additional Filmfare nominations as Best Actress for Shagird (1967), Diwana (1968), and Sagina (1974). In 1976, Saira chose to end her film career. Subsequently she has weathered a storm in her marriage, appeared in a cameo opposite her husband in Duniya (1984); and became a successful television producer....

Retired from the film world Saira Banu is now a socialite, having the lineage of her mother's past glory and marriage to one of Bollywood's most celebrated actors she has settled into the role of Bollywood royalty....

in most of her films i find that she played a rich papa's beti....saying oh papa or peeta ji...
so funny..i have not seen her best work like sagina or chaitali..but i never hated any yesteryear actress and having lot of respect for everyone,i loved her in purab pacchim...
in an interview she said that tday may be dev anand will not be agree with it,but she was offered guide(even i think its good she refused it,coz waheeda was really grt),she refused it coz her dates were clashing with a dilip kumar starrer movie,which remained uncomplete...rajkumar kohli offered her nagin,she liked it,but was not sure how her role will be accepted on screen...she refused it(even i felt this was good,coz a star was born with nagin..grt reena roy)..tday when i thought of manisha,i felt she should have get married,but when i look back at asha and nanda,i feel it was not wrong decision for them,so if manisha remained single its fine..well thing with nanda and asha is diffrent,coz they remained single,but i really feel sad for saira n sadhna that they could not enjoy motherhood..

Great thoughts Jassi .

Nasir.

Jassi, you've turned diplomatic. What are your thoughts on Bina Rai now?

Noorie

Reeth, thanks for the pixs and the write-up on Saira Bano; I've always liked her. Unlike some of the more popular silver screen actresses, she was a natural beauty.

Chaitali was one of her best performances. Have you seen it?

Noorie

to me bina rai was not a top actress..when one compare an ok actress with legendry madhubala..so in that case i dont like bina rai..i have nothin personal against her..but just coz of her comparison with madhubala,i dont like her..she is no way near to madhubala at all..i dont like her coz she got award for ghoonghat,but madhubala was deserving..anyways i dont want to start all those things again...

i even like other not so top actresses like kumkum,but when talk abt bina rai,i just cant..the only actress i dont like or hate is aishwarya rai(an another rai)..

Noorie I have not seen Chaitali ( it's sure to be good since it is directed b Hrishikesh mukherji), but 've seen Padosan,Shagird , Junglee and Bluff Master and YES She is a BEAUTY
Probably one of the best looking heroines ever...

Jassi Why u so against Bina Rai?? so many other actresses have been compared like her to Madhubala.....u know Madhubala has become the ultimate yardstc for beauty, so do u hate all the others too like Madhuri dixit and Manisha Koirala etc;

And poor poor Aish......what is wrong wit her? ( she seems to be universally disliked )

Yes, it does appear we come to have some reason to ignore actors if not dislike that person for no faut pof theirs. My feelings for Beena Rai fall into that category. The reason is simple. This was after I had as a kid seen INSANIYAT (1956) at the Roxy Cinema, Bombay. This movie had Dilip, Dev and Bina Rai as you know. Now this character of Durga (Bina Rai) was such that she maliciously doubts the good intentions of Mangal (Dilip) who ultimately sacrifices his own life saving her infant son. That was the day when I began to dislike her.

NASIR.

no..its not like i hate bina rai too much..and well madhuri and manisha are top and known actresses..and i dont mind if one compare them with madhubala,coz they dont belong to that era..but bina rai was from same era..i have not seen bina rai's work,even i dont care to...
once i was discussing madhubala with my cousin,he was increasing my knowledge on madhubala,that premnath proposed her,but married bina rai(i was not knowing who is bina rai),later he tell me that before mughle azam a film was made on same subject with bina rai(i wonder again),later i ask him if madhubala won best actress award for mughle azam and he said no she lo