May 3 marks the death anniversary of legendary actress Nargis who died in 1981 of pancreatic cancer, a few days before her son Sanjay Dutt made his debut in Hindi films. In 1982, the Nargis Dutt Memorial Cancer Foundation was established in her memory. The award for best feature film on national integration in the annual National Film Awards ceremony is called the Nargis Dutt Award in her honour.
Best known for her classic role in Mother India (1957), Nargis also essayed roles well-acclaimed films like Awara (1951), Raat Aur Din (1967) and Shree 420(1955). In 1968, Nargis won the National Film Award for her role in Raat Aur Din. Nargis, whose real name was Fatima Rashid, was born on June 1, 1929.
Remembering legendary actress Nargis
She made her screen debut as a child in Talash-E-Haq in 1935, but her acting career began in 1942 with Tamanna. During a career from the 1940s to the 1960s, Nargis appeared in numerous commercially successful as well as critically appreciated films, many of which featured her alongside actor and filmmaker Raj Kapoor.
One of her best-known roles was that of Radha in the Academy Award-nominated Mother India (1957), a performance that won her Best Actress trophy athe Filmfare Awards. In 1958, Nargis married her Mother India co-star Sunil Dutt, and left the film industry. She would appear infrequently in films during the 1960s.
In a throwback video from the 90s, Sanjay Dutt can be seen talking about the tragic death of his mother Nargis Dutt.
He says, “When my mother died, I didn’t cry, I had no emotions. It was after two years, I was sitting in a group and a guy started playing this tape. And, I heard my mother’s voice advising me and telling me things and how much she loved me and how much she cared about me and how much she expected from me.” Talking about the impact of his mother’s voice, he adds, “I think after two years I just burst out and I cried for about four-five hours. Everything that was inside me, I took it out and once that happened I was a changed man.”
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