At her peak in the late 1940s and early 1950s, Kamini Kaushal, who passed away recently at the age of 98, was one of the highest paid actresses in Hindi films. Her innocent features, graceful movements, charming smile and a luminous screen presence made her a popular leading lady and she retained the popularity throughout the 1950s, says Partab Ramchand as he traces her career in films
From the 1960s, Kamini Kaushal made a smooth transition to character roles, becoming everyone’s favourite mother and grandmother. Her acting prowess saw her enjoy one of the most durable careers in the film industry. She carried on well into the New Millennium, enjoying a career spanning seven decades. Kamini’s stature as an actress was heralded by her winning the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for Biraj Bahu in 1956 and the Best Supporting Actress Award for Shaheed in 1965 when she played Manoj Kumar’s mother. She was still winning awards as late as 2020 – Best Supporting Actress for Kabir Singh, when she was well into her 90s.
Kamini first attracted attention in Neecha Nagar which won the 1946 Palme d’or at the Cannes Film Festival. Subsequently, she played the heroine in films like Do Bhai (1947), Shaheed (1948), Nadiya Ke Paar (1948), Ziddi (1948), Shabnam (1949), Paras (1949) and Arzoo (1950). In four of these films, she appeared opposite Dilip Kumar and their on-screen chemistry was clearly visible. What was not visible immediately was their real life love story. In his autobiography, Dilip Kumar admits his attraction to her while they acted in films together but adds: “We conducted ourselves with dignity. If we were emotionally involved there was no public exhibition of it and decorum was consciously maintained.”
However, Kamini rejected his proposal of marriage as she was already married to her elder sister’s widower and was taking care of her elder sister’s children. Dilip has said that she was his first love. Kamini quoted in an interview on this: “We were both shattered. We were very happy with each other. We shared a great rapport. But what to do? That’s life,” she accepted. Interestingly, Dilip too passed away at the age of 98 in 2021.
Kamini was born in Lahore in February 1927. She did her BA (Honours) in English Literature from a government college in Lahore. She also worked as a radio child artist with the name ‘Uma’ in Lahore before Partition, from 1937 to 1940. She then moved to Delhi where she was a stage actress. Moving across to Bombay she got an offer in films through Chetan Anand, starting her career with Neecha Nagar. There was no looking back after that and she worked with all the leading actors of her time such as Ashok Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand, Dilip Kumar and Raaj Kumar. Over the next decade, she maintained her popularity with films like Jhanjar (1953), Aabroo (1956), Bade Sarkar (1957), Jailor (1959) and Godaan (1963).
As she approached the age of 40, Kamini was offered character parts and accepted them readily, provided the role was meaty enough. In Shaheed (1965), she played Manoj Kumar’s mother after playing the heroine opposite Dilip Kumar in the earlier version. She again played Manoj’s mother in Upkar (1967), his maiden directorial venture. This was one of the best performances even in her long career, and her emotions were conveyed so sincerely, it moved the audience to tears. Another prominent role was that of Balraj Sahni’s wife (and Rajesh Khanna’s elder sister-in-law) in the Raj Khosla-directed family drama Do Raaste (1970), in which she gave a controlled performance that was much acclaimed.
Kamini remained a Manoj Kumar favourite and had important roles in Shor, Purab aur Pachhim, Roti Kapda aur Makan. Sanyasi and Dus Nambri. She remained a regular feature in the movies of the 1970s and 1980s, her gracious presence shining through in films such as Waris, Umang, Yakeen, Dharti, Ishq par Zor Nahin, Swarag Narag and many others. She shed her elderly roles momentarily, stunning audiences by playing a mercenary vamp with aplomb in Anhonee (1973), a role that underlined her versatility
However from the 1990s, Kamini appeared only sporadically though some of the films she appeared in like the crowd-favorite Chennai Express (2013) and the romantic drama Kabir Singh (2019) ranked among the highest grossing movies of their time. She made her final film appearance with a cameo in Lal Singh Chaddha in 2022 when she was 95.
Kamini did not confine her creative activity to only films. She made a popular puppet show broadcast on Doordarshan that ran for two years (1989 to 1991). She then started writing children’s stories. Her stories used to be published in the children’s magazine Paraag, featuring the antics of Bunty, and Chotbhai and Motabhai – who were all loosely based on her own son and his cousin contemporaries. She dabbled in television doing serials such as Chand Sitare on Doordarshan. In 1986, Kamini made an animation film, Meri Pari. She also appeared in The Jewel in the Crown (1984), a popular British television serial, as Aunt Shalini.
(The writer is a veteran sports writer who spent his career working for The Indian Express and The Telegraph and Sportsworld. He has more than a passing interest in old films and music. He lives in Chennai.)
from Webdoux