Nirupa Roy (born Kokila Kishorechandra Bulsara; 4 January 1931 – 13 October 2004) was an Indian actress who had appeared in

Hindi films Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

. Noted for her portrayals of tragedy and sorrow, Roy was known for her acting ability, and was uncharitably called the "Queen of Misery" in Hindi film circles. Roy was active from 1946 to 1999, and was best known for playing motherly roles. Roy appeared in over 250 films, and won three Filmfare Awards throughout her career, as well as being nominated for one. In 2004, Roy received the

Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award The Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award, initially named Raj Kapoor Award for Lifetime Achievement after Raj Kapoor is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films. List of honourees † - Indicates t ...

Early life

Roy was born as Kokila Kishorechandra Bulsara in Kalwada, Valsad,

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

. She married Kamal Roy at the age of 15, and moved to

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

. She used her married name Nirupa Roy when she entered the film industry.

Career

In 1946, Roy and her husband responded to an advertisement in a Gujarati paper looking for actors. She was selected and started her acting career with the Gujarati film ''Ranakdevi''. The same year she acted in her first Hindi film '' Amar Raj''. One of her popular films was ''

Do Bigha Zamin ''Do Bigha Zamin'' () is a 1953 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Bimal Roy. Based on Rabindranath Tagore's Bengali poem " Dui Bigha Jomi", the film stars Balraj Sahni, Nirupa Roy in lead roles. Known for its socialist theme, it is c ...

'' (1953). She largely played mythological characters in the films of the 1940s and 50s. In Har Har Mahadev he played the role of Parvati Devi opposite

Trilok Kapoor Trilok Kapoor (11 February 1912 23 September 1988) was an Indian actor and a member of the Kapoor family who worked in Bollywood films. He was the younger brother of actor Prithviraj Kapoor. Early and personal life Trilok was born as the sec ...

who played the role of Shiva and the film was the top grosser of the year. Her image of a goddess was very strong and people would visit her home and seek her blessings. Among her co-stars were

(with whom she played in eighteen movies),

Bharat Bhushan ''Bharatbhushan Bhalla'' better known as ''Bharat Bhushan'' (14 June 1920 – 27 January 1992) was an Indian actor in Hindi language films, scriptwriter and producer, who is best remembered for playing Baiju Bawra in the 1952 film of the s ...

, Balraj Sahni, and

Ashok Kumar Kumudlal Ganguly (13 October 1911 – 10 December 2001), better known by his stage name Ashok Kumar and also by Dadamoni, was an Indian actor who attained iconic status in Indian cinema and who was a member of the cinematic Ganguly family. He ...

. In the 1970s, her role as mother to the characters played by Amitabh Bachchan and Shashi Kapoor made her name synonymous to the impoverished suffering mother. Her role in ''

Deewaar ''Deewaar'' () is a 1975 Indian Hindi-language action crime film directed by Yash Chopra and written by Salim–Javed ( Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar). It stars Shashi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Neetu Singh, Nirupa Roy and Parveen Babi. The ...

'' (1975) and its dialogues with reference to a mother and son are used as clichés.

Personal life

In her marriage with Kamal Roy, she had two children, named Yogesh and Kiran Roy. In the years following her death, they engaged into a dispute over Roy's property and belongings, which has received much attention throughout news and media.

Death

On 13 October 2004, Roy suffered a

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and poss ...

, and died at the age of 73. Several tributes and articles have been made in Roy's memory. Her dialogues from the film ''

'' became iconic, and her acting in the film along with her other notable films are considered to be a landmark in Hindi cinema.

Filmography

Selected filmography

rani rupmati 1957

Awards and nominations

References

External links

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Obituary from rediff.com
1931 births 2004 deaths Actresses from Gujarat Indian film actresses Actresses in Gujarati cinema 21st-century Indian actresses People from Valsad district Actresses in Hindi cinema Filmfare Awards winners Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award winners 20th-century Indian actresses {{India-actor-stub