By Entertainment Desk June 1, 2024
Nargis was born Fatima Rashid on June 1, 1929, and made her screen debut as a child artiste in Talash-E-Haq (1935) as Baby Nargis. This year, she would have turned 95
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Nargis was the daughter of Jaddan Bai, a famous Calcutta courtesan, a well-known actress of the early days of cinema, and one of the pioneers of the Indian film music, Bollywood’s first female composer
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Nargis became an integral part of the RK Films banner. She was a last-minute entry in Raj Kapoor’s Aag and was paid about Rs 10,000 for it. Nargis and Raj Kapoor were said to be in love
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Nargis was known to pick up unconventional roles and characters that broke stereotypes. The actress went on to command more fees than her male counterparts
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Nargis wanted to be a doctor
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Nargis was one of the earlier actresses to turn producer. One of the early woman film producers in Indian film history, Nargis even established her own production house, Nargis Art, producing films directed by her half-brother Akhtar Hussain
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There were murmurs that Nargis’ relationship with Sunil Dutt was a rebound following her heartbreak with Raj Kapoor. Star Nargis first met struggler Sunil Dutt on the sets of Do Bigha Zamin (1953), but the two worked together in Mehboob Khan's Mother India (1957), as mother and son
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Sunil Dutt saved Nargis from sure death during a fire while shooting for Mother India (1957). Sunil Dutt was badly injured in the episode and Nargis nursed him back to health. This brought the two closer. In 1958, the two married and she took the name Nirmala Dutt after converting to Hinduism
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After marriage, Nargis got involved in Sunil Dutt’s productions. They formed the Ajanta Arts Cultural troupe which had several film stars and singers taking part in stage shows at the border areas
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Nargis got involved in charity work in the 1970s and became the first patron of the Spastic Society
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Nargis was the first actor to get the prestigious Padma Shri Award in 1958
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She won Filmfare Award for Best Actress for Mother India (1957) in 1958 and the National Film Award for Best Actress for her last film Raat Aur Din (1967) in 1968. She left the movies to focus on her personal life
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She was the first female film star to be nominated as a Rajya Sabha member in 1980
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As a Congress (I) MP in the early 1980s, she criticised Satyajit Ray’s films for 'exporting India’s poverty' and earned a negative feedback for it
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Nargis had 55 films to her credit as an actress and won the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Award for her role in Mother India in 1958
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On May 3, 1981, at age 51, just three days before her son Sanjay Dutt made his debut in Hindi cinema with Rocky, Nargis passed away after battling pancreatic cancer. The Nargis Dutt Memorial Cancer Foundation was established in her memory in 1982
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The Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration was introduced in 1965 at the 13th National Film Awards. In February 2024, the names of former PM Indira Gandhi and actress Nargis Dutt were omitted from National Award categories
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