Nargis Dutt’s 93rd Birth Anniversary

Nargis Dutt: the name would surely crop up in any list talking about the greatest actors to have featured in Indian cinema. The veteran actress sealed her place as one of the most successful actresses in the Golden Era of Bollywood with her performances in several classic films like Mother India, Awara, Barsaat, Kala Bazaar, Shree 420, Chori Chori among others. Her charismatic personality and enchanting beauty made her stand out in a sea of people. There surely must be something about stars the likes of Nargis, due to which they are remembered even decades after they are gone. 

Many people remember Nargis Dutt as the ‘Mother India’ actress, while others might know her from evergreen songs with Raj Kapoor like Pyaar Hua Ikraar Hua Hai. Still, others will know her as Sunil Dutt’s wife, and the mother of Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt and his two sisters Namrata Dutt and Priya Dutt. But, there’s so much more to a star we love on the big screen than these general details about their lives. 

On Nargis Dutt’s birth anniversary, here are 12 lesser-known facts about the unforgettable persona:

• She made her acting debut as a child artist in 1935 in the film Talaash-E-Haq. It was produced by her mother Jaddanbai. It was then that her name was christened Baby Nargis in the film credits and it stuck on.  

• Nargis was only 28 when she delivered the spectacular performance as Radha in the Academy-Award nominated film Mother India. It was the first Indian film to be nominated for the prestigious honour. In 1958, she won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress.

• Reportedly, her relationship with Sunil Dutt began after her Mother India co-star saved her from a fire accident on the sets of the film.

• Nargis was the first patron of the Spastics Society of India. She got recognition for her work for the cause of Spastics children and her social and charitable work for the organization. 

• Nargis Dutt has been immortalized in the emblem of Raj Kapoor Films. The emblem features the iconic scene from Raj Kapoor and Nargis Dutt’s film Barsaat, where the actor is seen holding Nargis in one arm and a violin in the other. 

• Nargis Dutt, along with her husband Sunil Dutt, formed the Ajanta Arts Cultural Troupe which included several leading actors and singers of the time who performed stage shows in border areas of the country.

• Nargis loved chatting and was a people person. In a report, her daughter Namrata said that when Nargis would lie down for her massage, the phone would be brought beside her. She further revealed that her dad Sunil Dutt would joke even after her demise that had they owned a mobile phone, they would have been broke. 

• After her marriage to Sunil Dutt, Nargis left acting at the peak of her career and focused on her new role as a homemaker and a doting mother to her three children.

• Nargis was dubbed the Lady in White because of her liking for white sarees. 

• The actress was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and she underwent treatment for the same in New York. When she returned to India, her health deteriorated further and she went into a coma. A day later, on May 3rd, 1981, Nargis passed away. 

• Nargis died just days before the release of Sanjay Dutt’s debut film Rocky. A seat for Nargis was reportedly kept empty at the premiere of the film.

Team Pinkvilla remembers Nargis Dutt fondly on her 93rd birth anniversary.