For smooth Ad free experience
A player whose likes were never seen before on Bollywood's grounds, Nutan Samarth came to conquer and she did so, one film at a time. Leaving even the most impassive of critics shell-shocked with her exquisite rendition of her unconventional characters, Nutan was one of the crème de la crème.
Died on 21st Feb 1991
Main Bandini Piya ki, Main Sangini Hoon Saajan ki...
Nutan's Character, Kalyani in Bandini(1963)
It is quite a rare sight to find humility in Bollywood, an unstable world where power and glamour rule together and cruelly decide the fates of their subjects. But Nutan Samarth was indeed a force to be reckoned with. She was the one actress who got up every day and played by her own rules.
Better known as Nutan by her adoring fans, she entered the addicting stage of movies at the early age of 14; her first appearance on the screen being in the film Hamari Beti(1950). Even legends are humans and Nutan greatly struggled with her body image after being plunged into the cruel waters of cinema. Growing up an extremely skinny girl in a time where curves were deemed most desirable, Nutan sadly revealed in one of her interviews, the standing joke on set about her which was that to draw a picture of Nutan, just draw a straight line.
Shortly after her debut, Nutan leaves to pursue higher studies in Switzerland in 1953, later claiming it to be one of the best chapters of her life. Returning to India, Nutan who was happy to be heavier by 40 pounds, entered Bollywood for a rematch. Excelling beyond expectations, Nutan revelled in her bold and beautiful acting roles, never failing to deliver her best.
Bandini(1963), Nutan's finest acting showcase also marks the dawn of the legendary Gulzar who wrote the hit song Mora Gora Ang Lai Le, sung by the great Lata Mangeshkar.
Having success after success not only in the box-offices but also in the hearts of the coldest critics, Nutan holds, to this day, the stunning record of the most Filmfare awards in the Best Actress Category. And it was in 1963, exactly ten years after her return to cinema, that Nutan firmly planted her name in history's soil. Whenever one remembers Bimal Roy's Bandini(1963), it is Nutan that pops into mind. It comes with surprise to know that Bimal Roy had in fact had to beg her to take the role as Nutan had bid adieu after her marriage to Lieutenant-Commander Rajnish Bahl of the Indian Navy in 1959. The world of Bollywood was at her feet and Nutan was changing the game itself.
Poster of the highly appraised film, Bandini(1963); Source: Public Domain
In 2011, it was Nutan's very own niece; the household name of Bollywood, Kajol who matched up to her record by also being awarded five Filmfare awards in the same category!
The explosive fame of the film was greatly credited to Nutan, as it should be. Her intensely expressive acting and piercing gaze left her lingering in the minds of her audiences long after. A long list of awards and acclamations for the film and mainly, Nutan, made her an immortal player in the game.
Ranked as the third-best Indian film in its year by the Bengal Film Journalists' Association, Nutan's performance was listed in Filmfare's '80 Iconic Performances' in 2010. The film made it to Anupama Chopra's 'The 20 Best Hindi Films Ever Made'.
In 2013, while the compiling of their '25 Biggest Acting Exhibitions of Indian Film', Forbes India incorporated Nutan's acting, hailing her work as "the best acting by a lead entertainer in Indian film".
Nutan came, saw and conquered.
In 1990, Nutan complaining of a sharp pain in her armpit led her to being diagnosed with breast cancer and the public was devastated. In February, 1991, while filming Garajna and Insaniyat, she was admitted to Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai after her condition deteriorated. The world mourned the end of a shining light when Nutan breathed her last at 12:07 p.m. on 21 February, 1991.
Although gone, Nutan still lingers in the game of Bollywood. It'll take more than just death to defeat the spirited Nutan.
You might be interested in reading more from
