Nargis was a renowned and talented actress from the Bollywood film industry during the 1940 and 1950s. Nargis remains as one of the greatest artists from the younger days of the Indian Hindi film industry.
With a career spanning over 30 years Nargis appeared in numerous critically-acclaimed movies as well as several commercially successful films.
Apart from her acting career, Nargis is also known for being a talented theater artist and formed her own troupe of artists.
With impressive acting talent combined with a beautiful face, Nargis was the recipient of several prestigious film awards in her lifetime.
About Nargis
Bio | |
| Real Name | Fatima Rashid |
| Date of Birth | 1st June 1929 |
| Age (at the time of Death) | 51 years |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Religion | Islam |
| Place of Birth | Kolkata |
Physical Stats | |
| Height | 5 ft 4" (163 cm) approximately |
| Weight | 128 lbs (58 kg) approximately |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Black |
Family & Relationships | |
| Father | Abdul Rashid a.k.a. Mohan Babu (Businessman) |
| Mother | Jaddanbai (Classical Singer) |
| Brother | Anwar Hussain |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Husband | Sunil Dutt (Actor) |
Career | |
| Profession | Actress |
| Famous for | Taqdeer (1943), Humayun (1945), Nargis (1946), Mela, Anjuman, Aag (1948), Lahore, Barsaat (1949), Meena Bazaar, Khel, Chhoti Bhabhi, Babul (1950), Deedar, Awara (1951), Sheesha, Bewafa, Aashiyana (1952), Paapi, Aah (1953), Shree 420 (1955), Chori Chori (1956), Mother India (1957), Ghar Sansar (1958), Yaadein (1964) |
| First Movie | Child Artist - Talaash-E-Haq (1935) Lead Role - Taqdeer (1943) |
| Hobbies | Listening to music, dancing, doing social work, playing golf and traveling |
Nargis Dutt, whose real name was Fatima Rashid, was one of the best and most popular actresses in Bollywood film industry during the period spanning 1930s and 1950s. Besides being an extremely talented actress, Nargis was also one of the heartthrobs of the film fans in the era.
Nargis’s age was 51 years, when she passed away at the age of 51 years, from complications of pancreatic cancer. Nargis’s date of birth is 1st of June, 1929 and Nargis was born in present-day Kolkata. Nargis’s height was around 5 ft 4 inches (163 cm) while Nargis’s weight was around 58 kg (128 lbs). In her spare time, Nargis loved listening to music, dancing, playing golf, traveling or doing philanthropic work, as her hobbies.
Nargis’s father was the late Abdul Rashid (also known as Mohan Babu), a businessman, while Nargis’s mother was Jaddanbai, a trained Hindustani classical singer who was also a pioneer of the Indian cinema industry. Nargis did not have any real siblings, however Nargis’s half-brother was Anwar Hussain, a film actor.
Nargis was rumored to have had an affair with legendary Indian actor and filmmaker Raj Kapoor, however, Nargis’s husband was the late Sunil Dutt, the popular Bollywood actor and later politician. Nargis and Sunil Dutt together have three children – son Sanjay Dutt (Actor), Priya Dutt (Politician) and Namrata Dutt.
Thanks to her impressive acting talent, Nargis won several prestigious awards. The list of Nargis’s awards include winning the Filmfare Best Actress Award for her legendary role in ‘Mother India’ (1958). Later, Nargis won the National Film Award for Best Actress for her impressive performance in ‘Raat Aur Din’ (1968). Apart from winning these awards, Nargis was also nominated for the Filmfare Best Actress Award for her role in ‘Raat Aur Din’ (1968).
For her immense contribution to the Indian cinema, Nargis was also award India’s 4th-highest civilian award, the Padma Shri award, by the Government of India in 1958. In addition, Nargis was also awarded the Hero Honda and Stardust-sponsored 2001 Best Artists of the Millennium award in 2001.
Besides these awards, the Government of India also issued a postal stamp bearing her image in December of 1993.
Interesting Facts About Nargis
- It is not known whether Nargis was a smoker or if she drank alcohol.
- Strangely, Nargis wished to become a medical doctor as a child however her mother motivated her to seek a profession in the entertainment industry as an actress.
- Nargis made her debut as a child artist only at the age of 6 years, and was credited as ‘Baby Nargis’ in the movie credits, which stuck the name for her when she entered the film industry as an adult actress too.
- Nargis’s impressive acting is credited as making ‘Mother India’ one of the most legendary super hit movies from the Indian film industry till date.
- Nargis quit acting after she married Sunit Dutt in 1958.
- Nargis was the first actress in the entire Indian film industry to have won the National Film Award for Best Actress for her role in ‘Raat Aur Din’ (1967).
- Nargis was also the first Indian actress to have won an International film award when she received the Karlovy Vary Film Festival’s Best Actress Award in 1958.
- Nargis had to break her year-long relationship with Raj Kapoor when the latter refused to divorce his wife and marry her.
- Nargis passed away only 4 days before her son, Sanjay Dutt’s debut movie ‘Rocky’ was to be released however she did get to watch the movie as the producers made special arrangement for her to watch the movie in the hospital.
