Meena Kumari (born Mahjabeen Bano; 1 August 1933 – 31 March 1972) was an Indian actress and poet, who worked in Hindi films. Widely regarded as the "Tragedy Queen of Bollywood", she is considered one of the greatest actresses in the history of Indian cinema. In a career spanning 33 years, from child actress to adult, Kumari is a recipient of several accolades, including four Filmfare awards and has starred in over 90 films.
Kumari won four Filmfare Awards in the Best Actress category. She was the recipient of the inaugural Filmfare Best Actress Award for Baiju Bawra in 1954 and had a consecutive win in the second Filmfare Awards (1955) for Parineeta. Kumari made history at the 10th Filmfare Awards (1963) by receiving all three of the Best Actress nominations, and won for her performance in Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam. In the 13th Filmfare Awards (1966), she won her last Best Actress award for Kaajal. Critics have noted that her character in Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam is similar to her life. She also went onto appear in other successful films such as - Do Bigha Zamin (1953), Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai (1960), Aarti (1962), Main Chup Rahungi (1962), Dil Ek Mandir (1963), Phool Aur Patthar (1966) and Mere Apne (1971).
By late 1960s, Kumari became addicted to alcohol, the effect of which was visible in her subsequent films. Kumari was also a poet and a playback singer. She sang in some of her early films as a child artist and to her poems which came out in an album, I Write, I Recite (1971). She also designed the costumes in Pakeezah. On 31 March 1972, Kumari died at the age of 38, from cirrhosis of the liver, which has been associated with her alcoholism.
Early life and family background Birth and childhood
Meena Kumari was born with the name Mahjabeen to Ali Bux (b. 1899) and Iqbal Begum on 1 August 1933. This was a great disappointment to Ali Bux as he wanted a son. She was the second daughter and had two sisters; the elder named Khurshid Jr. and the younger named Mah Laqa (also known as Madhu / Baby Madhuri, a former child artist married to actor Mehmood). Her father could not afford to pay the doctor for her delivery, so he left her at an orphanage, but he changed his mind a few hours later and took her back home.
As a child, Kumari was not keen on having a film career, and would rather attend school. As per the contemporary records available, Kumari passed her sixth grade from Municipal School, Dadar and was thereafter homeschooled. Despite this, her parents started taking her to film studios for work opportunities. Director Vijay Bhatt cast Mahjabeen in the film Leatherface and on her first day of work, she was paid Rs. 25.
Leatherface was released in 1939. She became the breadwinner in the Bux family at a very young age. In an interview given in 1962, Kumari explained that the fact that she had supported her parents from the age of four gave her immense satisfaction. She was admitted into a regular school, but the demands of work frequently interrupted her curriculum. She did not attend school in any meaningful sense, therefore her education was the result of private tuition and self-education.
Kumari's father was a Sunni Muslim named Master Ali Bux (b. 1899) who had migrated from Bhera (now in West Punjab, Pakistan). He was a veteran of Parsi theater, played harmonium, wrote Urdu poetry, composed music and also played small roles in a few films. Kumari's mother Iqbal Begum, whose original name was Prabhavati Devi, was a Christian, who converted to Islam after her marriage. Iqbal Begum was born to a father from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh and a Bengali mother. She was the second wife of Ali Bux. Before meeting and marrying Ali Bux, she was a stage actress and was said to be related to the Tagore family of Bengal.
Connection with Tagore family Kumari's grandmother, Hem Sundari Tagore, was either the daughter or a widow of Rabindranath Tagore's distant cousin. After the death of her husband, she was forced by his family to leave for Meerut, where she became a nurse, married a Christian named Pyare Lal Shakir Meeruti (1880–1956) who was an Urdu journalist and embraced Christianity. She had two daughters; one of whom was Prabhavati, Kumari's mother.
Career
Early work as Baby Meena (1939–45)
Kumari began acting when she was four. She initially worked mostly in Vijay Bhatt productions; Leather Face (1939), Adhuri Kahani (1939), Pooja (1940) and Ek Hi Bhool (1940). Bhatt rechristened Mahjabeen as "Baby Meena" during the filming of Ek Hi Bhool (1940).
More films followed, namely Nai Roshni (1941), Bahen (1941), Kasauti (1941), Vijay (1942), Garib (1942), Pratiggya (1943) and Lal Haveli (1944).
Early career (1946–52)
She was cast under the name Meena Kumari in Ramnik Production's Bachchon Ka Khel (1946), playing the role of Agha's love interest named Anuradha. Although Bachchon Ka Khel was scathingly reviewed by then-leading critic Baburao Patel, Kumari's performance was praised nevertheless: Patel described her as "a good addition to the screen" and predicted that she has a "promising future".
Rising star (1952–56) 1952: Baiju Bawra – Kumari played the female lead in the film. Following its success, she featured as a model for Hindustan Lever products and on the calendar of a popular beauty soap. 1953: Parineeta – Directed by Bimal Roy, (featuring Ashok Kumar and Kumari in lead) won Kumari her second Filmfare Best Actress Award. It was based on the 1914 Bengali novel by Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay. , another Bimal Roy directorial, won the International Prize at Cannes in 1954, the first Indian film to do so. This film also marks the only guest appearance of Kumari. Foot Path – directed by Zia Sarhadi, was Kumari's first film with Dilip Kumar. This movie was featured in Avijit Ghosh's book, 40 Retakes: Bollywood Classics You May Have Missed. Daaera – was written and directed by Kamal Amrohi, starring Kumari, Nasir Khan and Nana Palsikar in lead roles. Other films included Naulakha Haar and Daana Paani. 1954: Chandni Chowk – directed by B. R. Chopra in 1954, a classic Muslim social drama film, was a success at the box office. Baadbaan - directed by Phani Majumdar, included a star cast of Kumari, Dev Anand, Ashok Kumar and Usha Kiran. Ilzaam – directed by R. C. Talwar, starring Kumari and Kishore Kumar, also premiered. 1955: In Azaad, directed by Sriramulu Naidu S.M., Kumari performed with Dilip Kumar in this comedy. It was the second highest-grossing Hindi film of that year. Adl-e-Jehangir – was a Hindi language historical drama film directed by G.P. Sippy. It became a commercial success at the box office. Bandish - directed by Satyen Bose starring Kumari, Ashok Kumar, and Daisy Irani was a box office hit. Rukhsana - was directed by Talwar and starred Kumari and Kishore Kumar. 1956: Mem Sahib – directed by Talwar, featured Kumari for the first time with Shammi Kapoor. The modern avatar of Kumari was well received by audiences and the film became a box office hit. Ek Hi Raasta – was a film based on the issue of widow remarriage, directed and produced by B. R. Chopra. It starred Kumari with newcomer Sunil Dutt, Ashok Kumar and Daisy Irani. The film proved to be successful at the box office and was screened for more than 25 weeks, which was a "Jubilee Hit". - directed by Hemchandra Chunder, based on the popular Bengali novel Mantra Shakti, starred Kumari and Pradeep Kumar as leads. It was awarded with a Certificate of Merit in the National Film Awards. Naya Andaz – directed by K. Amarnath, starring Kumari and Kishore Kumar in lead roles, was a musical hit. Halaku – a historical, was directed by D.D. Kashyap which included Kumari, Pran, Minoo Mumtaz, Raj Mehra and Helen. It was a box office hit and celebrated a silver jubilee. Kumari's other 1956 release was Gyan Mukherjee's Shatranj, opposite Ashok Kumar.
Tragedy queen of Indian cinema (1957) 1957: Sharada – directed by L.V. Prasad, was Kumari's first venture with Raj Kapoor. She won best actress at Bengal Film Journalists' Association Award for her work. The film gained great critical success and was the ninth highest grossing film at the Indian box office in 1957. Miss Mary – a comedy film directed by L.V. Prasad, starred Kumari and Gemini Ganesan. The film was one of the biggest hits of that year. 1958: For Sahara – directed by Lekhraj Bhakri, Kumari received a Filmfare nomination. Yahudi, directed by Bimal Roy starred Kumari, Dilip Kumar, Sohrab Modi, Nazir Hussain and Nigar Sultana. It was based on the play Yahudi Ki Ladki by Agha Hashar Kashmiri, a classic in Parsi – Urdu theatre, about the persecution of Jews in the Roman Empire. The film was a box office hit. Farishta and Savera (directed by Satyen Bose) had Ashok Kumar and Kumari as protagonists. The films were rated as above average. 1959: Chirag Kahan Roshni Kahan, directed and produced by Devendra Goel, stars Kumari with Rajendra Kumar and Honey Irani. The film was a huge hit at the box office and Kumari received a Filmfare nomination for her performance in the Best Actress category. Char Dil Char Rahen – was directed by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, with a star cast including Kumari, Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor, Kumkum and Nimmi. The film received warm reviews from critics. Shararat – was a 1959 romantic drama film written and directed by Harnam Singh Rawail, starring Kumari, Kishore Kumar, Raaj Kumar and Kumkum in lead roles. Film Chand directed by Lekhraj Bhakri focused on the effects of polygamy prior to The Hindu Marriage Act, 1955. The film stars Kumari with Balraj Sahni, Pandari Bai and newcomer Manoj Kumar in lead roles. Her other films released in 1959 were Ardhangini, Satta Bazaar, Madhu and Jagir. 1960: Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai was a Hindi romantic drama written and directed by Kishore Sahu. The film starred Kumari, Raaj Kumar and Nadira as leads. The film narrates the story of a surgeon who is obligated to marry the daughter of a family friend, while he is in love with a colleague nurse, played by Kumari. It is one of her noted acting performances. The film's music is by Shankar Jaikishan, and features the Hawaiian-themed "Ajeeb Dastan Hai Yeh" sung by Lata Mangeshkar. Bahana – directed by Kumar, had a star cast including Kumari, Sajjan, Mehmood, Helen, Pramila, Sulochana Latkar and Sheela Vaz. Kohinoor – directed by S. U. Sunny featured Kumari, Dilip Kumar, Leela Chitnis and Kumkum. A film of lighter tone like Azaad, it lacked the intense characterisations of earlier films of both Dilip Kumar and Kumari. 1961: Bhabhi Ki Chudiyan was a family drama directed by Sadashiv J. Row Kavi with Kumari and Balraj Sahni in the lead roles. The film was one of the highest-grossing films of the year. Zindagi aur Khwab – directed S. Bannerjee, starring Kumari and Rajendra Kumar, was a hit at the Indian box office. Pyaar Ka Saagar – was directed by Devendra Goel with Kumari and Rajendra Kumar.
Critical acclaim (1962) Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam
Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, a film produced by Guru Dutt and directed by Abrar Alvi featured Kumari in the role of Chhoti Bahu. It is based on the Bengali novel Saheb Bibi Golam by Bimal Mitra. The film stars Kumari, Guru Dutt, Rehman and Waheeda Rehman.
For Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, to give the heavy appearance associated with excessive consumption of alcohol, she applied concentrated Eau de Cologne under her nose. The irritation helped her to achieve the visual appearance of an alcoholic.
The film won four Filmfare Awards, including the Best Actress award and was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 13th Berlin International Film Festival, where Kumari was selected as a delegate. It was chosen as India's official entry to the Oscars.Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences