Nargis Biography: Life, Career & Legacy of the Iconic Indian Film Star

Fatima Rashid was her birth name, but she became globally known by her screen name, Nargis. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest actresses in the history of Hindi cinema. Nargis made her first film appearance as a child in Talash-E-Haq (1935), but her professional career truly began in 1942 with the film Tamanna.

Spanning from the 1940s to the 1960s, her career included many critically acclaimed and commercially successful films. She is particularly remembered for her frequent on-screen partnership with actor and filmmaker Raj Kapoor, with whom she starred in 16 films. Notable among these were Barsaat (1949), Awaara (1951), and Shree 420 (1955). Their deep romantic involvement off-screen made headlines, although Kapoor never left his wife.

One of Nargis’s most iconic roles was that of Radha in Mother India (1957), a performance that earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. In 1958, she married actor Sunil Dutt, whom she met on the set of Mother India when he saved her from a fire during filming. After their marriage, Nargis stepped away from the film industry, making only occasional appearances in the 1960s. One of her final films was Raat Aur Din (1967), a psychological drama that won her the inaugural National Film Award for Best Actress.

Together with her husband, Nargis founded the Ajanta Arts Cultural Troupe, bringing performances to soldiers at India’s borders. In the early 1970s, she became the first patron of the Spastics Society of India, and her work with the organization earned her widespread recognition as a humanitarian. In 1980, she was appointed to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of India’s Parliament.

Nargis passed away in 1981 from pancreatic cancer, just days before her son Sanjay Dutt made his film debut. In her honor, Sunil Dutt established the Nargis Dutt Cancer Foundation in 1982. Today, the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration is presented annually at the National Film Awards in her memory, celebrating her enduring impact on Indian cinema and society.

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Carla Marinho Leal

Writer, traveler and above all, curious about many subjects. She has studied cinema since 2002 and is a Specialist in Cinematographic Studies from UNICAP. Founder of the blog Purviance and the website Cinemaclássico. She loves Charles Chaplin, Raj Kapoor and constantly browses films from all over the world.

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