Nandaji films are still relevant in India

It is a shocking news for the lovers of Indian films that Nanda had died today, on 25th March, 2014, at the age of 75 years. She suffered a massive heart attack. Her friend Mala Sinha shared her experiences with the press and media about acting with Nanda. Both of them acted in the film Dhool Ka Phool. Nanda having huge amount of acting potentials never received her dues. Born in a Maharashtrian family she learned acting from childhood. Eminent director V Shantaram gave her a prominent role in the film Toofan Aur Diya in 1956. She was brilliant in the film Bhabhi in 1957. She played the role of the younger sister of Pandari Bai, the wife of Balraj Sahani in the film. She became widow at a very early age and the information was not given to her by Pandari Bai. She played a very juvenile role in the first part of the film and in the second part became serious. She received the nomination for best supporting actress in 1957 for her role in Bhabhi but did not win it. She was sublime in the role of the wife of Rajender Kumar in the film Dhool Ka Phool in 1959. She followed it up by a brilliant performance in the film Choti Behen. Again she had the challenge of acting with Balraj Sahani. She did a great job. In 1960s, Nanda became a stylish heroine and acted in glamour oriented roles. With Manoj Kumar she had a fantastic combination. She did a great job in the film Bedaag. Gumnaam was the blockbuster film of Nanda which did fabulous business. Shankar Jaikishan’s music stormed Bollywood in 1965 with Gumnaam. Nanda gave soft lips in the song “jaane chaman sholabadan” which was sung by Sharda and Mohammad Rafi. The she was paired opposite Shashi Kapoor in more than 7 films. The romantic pair started their journey in the film Jab Jab Phool Khilen. It was a music oriented film which created magic. Kalyanji Anandji’s music was appreciated by the audience. Rafi and Suman Kalyanpur’s duet song “nanakarte pyar humhi to kar baite” became bumper hit. The combination just gave hits after hits. The other notable films included Neend Hamari Khwab Tumhari, Muhobbat Is Ko Kehte Hai, to name a few. The movies were shot in romantic locations of Jammu Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. The music created magic and the audiences admired the films. In the 1970s and 1980s, Nanda shifted to character roles. There also she showed excellence. In Manoj Kumar’s film Shor she played a compassionate character. In Dilip Kumar’s film Mazdoor she played the role of his wife. She also gave a landmark performance in Raj Kapoor’s film Prem Rog in 1982. Her character role of the mother of Padmini Kolhapuri caught the attention of the viewers. In her career around 40 years, she had acted in diverse roles. But neither was she honoured, nor recognized for the great callibre shown over the years. Her films should be preserved.