Anupama Nair
www.mediaeyenews.com
Nargis Dutt is an actress par excellence. She is one of my favorite actress in Hindi film industry. My favorite Nargis song was “pyar hua ikrar hua”, dancing in the rain under an umbrella with Raj Kapoor is the hits of all time, Shree 420. Nargis Dutt born as Fatima Rashid on 1st June 1929 was an Indian actress and politician who worked in Hindi film industry. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in the history of Indian Films, she made her screen debut as a child artist at the age of five with Talash-E-Haq in 1935.
Nargis was born in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India in a Punjabi family. Her father Abdul Rashid (Mohan Chand Uttamchand), was originally a wealthy Punjabi Hindu from Rawalpindi (Pakistan) who had later converted to Islam. Her mother was Jaddanbai, a Hindustani classical singer and one of the early pioneers of Indian cinema. Nargis' family then moved from Punjab to Prayag Raj in Uttar Pradesh and later to Calcutta. Her mother introduced Nargis into the movie world. Nargis' maternal half-brother, Anwar Hussain was also a film actor.
Fathima changed her name to Nargis, which means “Narcissus” or daffodils. She was henceforth known as Nargis in all of her films from then on. In 1943 at the age of 14, she appeared in Mehboob Khan's Taqdeer opposite Motilal. The film was a blockbuster, and she was extensively praised for her performance. According to Film India it was "an excellent debut". After Taqdeer, Nargis acted in the 1945 period film Humayun, with the first Indian super star Ashok Kumar. The film was moderately successful. Among her early releases were Mela, Anokha Pyar and Aag . The first two films were with Dilip Kumar and Aag was the debut film with Raj Kapoor.
In 1949, Nargis starred in Mehboob Khan’s critically acclaimed drama Andaz. The film saw her playing Neena, whose husband Rajan (Raj Kapoor) suspects her of having an affair with her friend Dilip (Dilip Kumar). It had a slow start at the box office, but soon became a hit. The music as in those days was melodious and popular even now. The film was first hit in Raj Kapoor's career, and a breakthrough for Nargis and Dileep Kumar. After the success of the movie, Raj Kapoor cast her again as a leading lady in his second directorial venture after the flop Aag.
Then came the epoch-making Film – Barsat starring Raj Kapoor as a poet. It was also the debut of the hit music director duo Shankar—Jai Kishan and the actress Nimmi. Its release was already hyped due to the huge success of Andaz, and therefore it became another major box office success. Shankar—Jai Kishan became one of the best Music directors of India and Raj Kapoor’s favorite. The film broke the record of Andaz. Nargis, became, one of the most popular and bankable stars of that era.
Nargis played the lead roles in 1950 films Jogan and Babul, along with Dilip Kumar. Both of them were box-office hits and her performance in Babul was appreciated. “Milte hi ankhe dil hua diwana kisi ka” is popular even today. As we all know that was the golden era of Hindi music.
Due to the success of Andaz and Barsaat, Raj Kapoor was impressed by Nargis' onscreen charm and presence. He therefore chose her to play a character in Awara (1951). Although it revolved around a father and his estranged son, Nargis played an important role in the movie as a lawyer Unlike the roles played by other actresses of those times, Nargis portrayed an outspoken woman-lawyer who criticized the people who regarded woman as a "thing made for household chores". She also donned a swimwear in a scene from Awara, which was quite a bold dress for Indian woman in that era. The film was a blockbuster not only in India but overseas too, making Nargis and Raj well-known stars in countries such as Greece and the United States. Deedar, released in the same year was another hit in Nargis' film career.
The two years from 1952 to 1954 was a lean patch and did not perform well, neither critically nor commercially. Then came the blockbuster of all times Shree 420 in 1955. All songs done by the duo Shankar—Jai Kishan was popular even now in the time when film music does not have good lyrics or music. Then Chori Chori (1956), another blockbuster was released. The pair sizzled in the movie. The hit Aamir Khan film Dil Hai ki Manta Nahi was a remix of the film. Nargis and Raj Kapoor acted together in 16 films spanning over a period of 10 years and Jagte Raho was the last film.
However, the film Mother India (1957) by Mehboob Khan was an epoch-making film starring Nargis, Sunil Dutt and Rajendra Kumar. It was the remake of Khan's earlier film Aurat, it is the story of a poverty-stricken village woman named Radha (Nargis), who in the absence of her husband, struggles to raise her sons and survive against a cunning money-lender amidst many troubles. Mother India became a cultural classic and is regarded as one of the best films in Indian cinema. The film won the All India Certificate of merit for Best Feature Film and the Film Fare Best Film for 1957, and Nargis won the Best Actress and Mehboob Khan won the Best Director award. It was the first Indian film nominated for the Academy Awards. This film was personal for Nargis as she met the love of her life Sunil Dutt. When a fire raged in the sets of Mother India, Sunil saved Nargis’s life and love blossomed between the two. Sunil Dutt married Nargis in 1958, and had three children, Sunjay, Priya and Namrata.
Nargis was a Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha). On 2 August 1980, Nargis fell ill during a session of the Rajya Sabha, with the initial cause of the ailment assumed to be jaundice. She was rushed home and admitted to Breach Candy Hospital in Bombay. After fifteen days of tests, during which her condition deteriorated, finally she was diagnosed with pancreatic Cancer in 1980 and underwent treatment for the disease in New York City. Upon her return to India, her condition deteriorated and she was again admitted at Breach Candy Hospital. Nargis went into a coma on 2 May 1981 after she became seriously ill and died the next day. On 7 May 1981, a seat for her was kept vacant for Sunjay’s debut film Rocky. The Nargis Dutt Memorial Cancer Foundation was inaugurated a year after her death by Sunil Dutt in her memory.
Nargis had an unsuccessful love affair with Raj Kapoor, her co-star of 16 films. Raj at that time was married to Krishna Kapoor, and had three children. He refused to divorce his wife and leave his children. A heartbroken Nargis ended the relationship. It was late,r she married Sunil Dutt. She met Raj Kapoor at his son Rishi’s wedding, after many years.
Nargis was one of the greatest actresses of all times. No can emulate her skills. I offer my tribute to her on her 92nd birthday. My favorite songs of Nargis are “Jane na nazar, Aaja Sanam Madhur Chandni me hum, Yeh Raat Bheegi Bheegi, Raja ki Ayegi Bharat, milte hi ankhe dil hua diwana kisi ka, Pyar hua ikrar hua, Ichak Dana Bichak Dana” and the list goes on
