Nargis

Portrait of Nargis from Jan Pahechan

Fatima made her first film appearance in the 1935 film Talashe Haq when she was six years old, credited as Baby Nargis. Nargis (نرگس [ˈnərɡɪs]) is a Persian word meaning Narcissus, the daffodil flower. She was subsequently credited as Nargis in all of her films.[8][9]

Nargis appeared in numerous films after her debut. In 1943 at the age of 14, she appeared in Mehboob Khan's Taqdeer, opposite Motilal.[10] The film was a box office success, and she was extensively praised for her performance. Filmindia referred to it as "an excellent debut".

Following Taqdeer, Nargis starred in the 1945 period drama Humayun, opposite the leading actor of those times, Ashok Kumar. The film was moderately successful. Among her early releases were Mela, Anokha Pyar and Aag all in 1948. The former two starred her with Dilip Kumar and the latter marked her first collaboration with Raj Kapoor. Except Mela, which was among the highest-grossing films of that year, none of her film fared well in 1948.

Nargis, Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar in a scene from the 1949 film Andaz

In 1949, Nargis starred in Mehboob Khan's critically acclaimed drama Andaz. The film saw her playing Neena, whose husband Rajan (Raj Kapoor) suspects of her having an affair with her friend Dilip (Dilip Kumar). It had a slow start at the box office, but as soon as positive word-of-mouth spread, it emerged as a major commercial success and the highest-grossing film of all time.[11] The film was first hit in Kapoor's career, and a breakthrough for Nargis and Kumar. After the success of the movie, Kapoor cast her again as a leading lady in his second directorial venture after the unsuccessful Aag (1948).

This venture of Kapoor was released in the same year, starring Nargis as a village belle and him starring as a poet. It was titled Barsaat. The film was the debut of Nimmi, who would later become a well-known actress. Its release was already hyped due to the huge success of Andaz, and therefore it became another major box office success. Barsaat was the highest-grossing film of 1949, as well as of all time, breaking the record of Andaz.[12] This established her as one of the most popular and bankable stars of that era.

Next, Nargis played the lead roles in 1950 films Jogan and Babul, along with Dilip Kumar. Both of them were box-office hits and her performance in Babul was specially noticed.[13]

Due to the success of Andaz and Barsaat, Raj Kapoor was impressed by Nargis' onscreen charm and presence. He therefore chose her to play a character in Awaara (1951) (often written as Awāra). Although it revolved around a father and his estranged son, Nargis played an important role in the movie as a lawyer who knows the truth that Raj (played by Kapoor) and Raghunath (played by Prithviraj Kapoor) are son-father. Unlike the roles played by other actresses of those times, Nargis portrayed an outspoken woman-lawyer who criticises the people who regard woman as a "thing made for household chores". She was also seen donning a swimwear in a scene from Awaara, a quite bold dress for Indian woman to wear in that era. The film was released on 14 December 1951, receiving universal acclaim for the performances of Prithviraj, Raj and Nargis. Not only in India, the film was a blockbuster overseas too, making Nargis and Raj well-known stars in countries such as Greece and USA. Grossing ₹12.5 million in India, it became the highest-grossing film of all time, breaking the record of Barsaat.[14] Deedar, released in the same year was another hit in Nargis' filmography.[15]

Nargis' films released between 1952 and 1954 didn't perform well, neither critically and commercially. In 1952, she had as many as six releases, only Anhonee being a success.[16] 1953 and 1954 saw her doing five films, none of them a box-office hit. However, her 1953 film Aah has gained a cult status over the years.[16]

Nargis revived her career with Raj Kapoor's social drama Shree 420 (1955). The film was the highest-grossing film of all time, and featured several popular tracks.

She once again collaborated with Kapoor for the box office success Chori Chori (1956), which revolves around a girl (Nargis) who runs away from her house in order to marry a gold digger pilot (Pran), but ends up falling for a news reporter (Kapoor) whom she meets in a bus. In the same year, she did a special appearance in Kapoor's Jagte Raho. The film was her last to co-star Raj Kapoor.[17]

In 1957, she appeared in Mehboob Khan's Oscar-nominated epic drama Mother India, for which she won the Filmfare Best Actress Award for her performance.[18] Baburao Patel of the film magazine, Filmindia, in December 1957, described Mother India as "the greatest picture produced in India" and wrote that no other actress would have been able to perform the role as well as Nargis.[19][20] Also in 1957, she acted in the Pardesi (marketed as Journey Beyond Three Seas in English), which was an Indo-Soviet co-production.[21]

Nargis and Raj Kapoor acted together in 16 films spanning over a period of 10 years, including Awaara, Shree 420, Jagte Raho (cameo), Andaz, Chori Chori, Aah, Aag and Barsaat. Their first film together was Aag in 1948. Aag was not a commercial success, Aah's earnings were average, but others were commercially successful. Songs from these movies featuring them have grown to become memorable. Some examples are "Barsat mein humse mile" and "Jiya beqarar hai" (in Barsaat); "Dam bhar jo udhar munh phere" and "Ghar aaya mera pardesi" (in Awaara); "Sham gayi raat aayi", "Ichak dana beechak dana" and "Pyar ha ikraar hua" (in Shree 420); and "Pancchi banoon udti phiroon", "Aa ja sanam madhur chandni mein", and "Yeh raat bheegi bheegi" (in Chori Chori).[17] Their work in Awaara made the couple famous internationally,[20] particularly in the Soviet Union, where the film was dubbed in Russian and released as Brodiaga.[22]

Nargis in Lajwanti (1958)

After her marriage to Sunil Dutt in 1958, Nargis gave up her film career to settle down with her family, after her last few films were released.[23] She made her last film appearance in the 1967 film Raat Aur Din, being convinced to act after fifteen years.[20] The film was well received and Nargis' performance as a woman who has dissociative identity disorder was critically acclaimed. For this role she won the National Film Award for Best Actress and became the first actress to win in this category.[24] She also received a Filmfare Best Actress Award nomination for this film.

In 2011, Rediff.com listed her as the greatest actress of all time, stating, "An actress with range, style, grace and an incredibly warm screen presence, Nargis is truly a leading lady to celebrate."[25] M.L. Dhawan from The Tribune said, "In almost all her films Nargis created a woman who could be desired and deified. The charisma of Nargis's screen image lay in that it oscillated between the simple and the chic with equal ease."[26] In 2005, Indiatimes Movies wrote: "Whenever Raj Kapoor and Nargis came together on screen, sparks flew. Their chemistry was electrifying and it crackles with raw passion in Raj Kapoor's Awaara. Nargis's wild and carefree sensuality pulsates and Raj Kapoor's scruffy hair-rebellious persona only adds fuel to the fire".[27] Surendra Kumar of The Sunday Guardian stated, "She was a versatile actor who could carry off serious roles, light roles and even comic roles with the same élan. She could be urbane and sophisticated, as in Awaara, Chori Chori and Andaz; simple and ordinary, as in Sri 420; and every inch a traditional village woman, as in Mother India."[20]

She was also nominated to the Rajya Sabha (Upper house of Indian Parliament) from 1980–81[4][28] but due to cancer she fell ill and died during her tenure.[29]