Nimmi (born as Nawab Bano; 18 February 1933 – 25 March 2020), was an Indian actress who worked in
Hindi
Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
and
Urdu
Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...
films. Considered as one of the leading actresses of the "golden era" of
Indian cinema
The cinema of India, consisting of motion pictures made by the Indian film industry, has had a large effect on world cinema since the second half of the 20th century. Indian cinema is made up of various film industries, each focused on p ...
, Nimmi was among the highest paid actresses of the 1950s.
Nimmi gained popularity by playing spirited village belle characters, but has also appeared in diverse genres such as fantasy and social films. Her best performances are in the films ''
Barsaat'' (1949), ''
Deedar'' (1951), ''
Sazaa'' (1951), India's first technicolor film ''
Aan'' (1952), ''
Daag'' (1952), ''
Aan'' (1952), ''
Amar'' (1954), ''
Uran Khatola'' (1955), ''
Kundan'' (1955) and ''
Basant Bahar'' (1956).
Raj Kapoor
Raj Kapoor (; born as Shrishti Nath Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influen ...
changed her name from Nawab Bano to "Nimmi".
[
]
Early life and background
Nawab Bano was born in Agra
Agra ( ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the ...
. Her mother was a tawaif, singer and an actress, known as Wahidan.[ She was well connected within the film industry. Nimmi's father, Abdul Hakim, worked as a military contractor. Nimmi's birth forename of "Nawab" was given by her grandfather while her grandmother added "Bano". As a young child, Nimmi had memories of visiting ]Bombay
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...
, and her mother being on good terms with Mehboob Khan
Mehboob Khan Ramzan Khan (9 September 1907
at filmreference.com. – 28 May 1964) was a pr ...
and his family, who were prominent and influential within the movie-making business.[
When Nimmi was 11 years old, her mother suddenly died. Her father lived in ]Meerut
Meerut (, ISO 15919, ISO: ''Mēraṭh'') is a city in the western region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Located in the Meerut district, it is northeast of the national capital, New Delhi, and is ...
where he worked and had another family; by this time, his contact with Nimmi's mother was minimal. Nimmi was therefore sent to live in Abbottabad
Abbottabad is a city in the Hazara Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. It is the 40th largest city in the country and 6th largest in the province by population, and serves as the headquarter of its namesake tehsil and district ...
near Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, third-largest city in the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is a commercial and industrial hub, being the list of cities in P ...
with her maternal grandmother. The partition of India
The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...
happened in 1947, and Abbottabad went to Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
. Nimmi's grandmother moved to Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
(then known as Bombay) and settled in the household of her other daughter, known by the name Jyoti. Herself a former actress, Jyoti was married to G. M. Durrani, a popular Indian playback singer, actor, and music director.
Career
Debut
In 1948, via the connection with her mother Wahidan who had worked with him in the 1930s, the famous filmmaker Mehboob Khan
Mehboob Khan Ramzan Khan (9 September 1907
at filmreference.com. – 28 May 1964) was a pr ...
, invited the young Nimmi to watch the making of his current production '' Andaz'' at Central Studios. She had shown an interest in movies and this was an opportunity to understand the film making process. On the sets of ''Andaz'', Nimmi met Raj Kapoor
Raj Kapoor (; born as Shrishti Nath Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influen ...
, who was starring in the film.[ At that time, ]Raj Kapoor
Raj Kapoor (; born as Shrishti Nath Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influen ...
was filming his production of '' Barsaat'' (1949). Having already cast the famous actress Nargis
Nargis Dutt (born Fatima Rashid, also known as Nirmala Dutt; 1 June 1929 – 3 May 1981) known mononyomusly as Nargis was an Indian actress and politician who worked in Hindi cinema. Regarded as one of the greatest and finest actresses in the ...
in the female lead role, he was on the lookout for a young girl to play the second lead. After observing Nimmi's unaffected and shy behaviour as a guest on the sets of ''Andaz'', he cast the teenaged Nimmi in ''Barsaat'' opposite the actor Prem Nath. Nimmi played the role of an innocent mountain shepherdess in love with a heartless city man. ''Barsaat'', released in 1949, made movie history. It was a phenomenal and commercial success. Despite the presence of established and popular stars Nargis
Nargis Dutt (born Fatima Rashid, also known as Nirmala Dutt; 1 June 1929 – 3 May 1981) known mononyomusly as Nargis was an Indian actress and politician who worked in Hindi cinema. Regarded as one of the greatest and finest actresses in the ...
, Raj Kapoor
Raj Kapoor (; born as Shrishti Nath Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influen ...
and Prem Nath, Nimmi had a very prominent and well-received role and was an instant hit with the audiences.
Rise to stardom
After '' Barsaat'', Nimmi was flooded with film offers. She quietly polished her histrionic abilities and developed a mannered but effectively unique style of acting. The diminutive actress, with her saucer shaped expressive eyes, quickly won a loyal fan base with her intense and expressive performances.[
]
1950s
She worked with top heroes like Raj Kapoor
Raj Kapoor (; born as Shrishti Nath Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influen ...
(''Banwara''), and Dev Anand
Dev Anand (; born Dharamdev Pishorimal Anand; 26 September 1923 – 3 December 2011) was an Indian actor, writer, director and producer known for his work in Indian cinema, Hindi cinema. He is considered as one of the greatest and most succes ...
('' Sazaa'', '' Aandhiyan''). To her great advantage, Nimmi formed a very popular and dependable screen pair with Dilip Kumar
Dilip Kumar (born Muhammad Yusuf Khan; 11 December 1922 – 7 July 2021) was an Indian actor and film producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. Credited with pioneering method acting in cinema, he dominated Hindi cinema from the 1950s throughout t ...
, after the success of films like '' Deedar'' (1951) and '' Daag'' (1952). Aside from Nargis
Nargis Dutt (born Fatima Rashid, also known as Nirmala Dutt; 1 June 1929 – 3 May 1981) known mononyomusly as Nargis was an Indian actress and politician who worked in Hindi cinema. Regarded as one of the greatest and finest actresses in the ...
with whom she co-starred in ''Barsaat'' and ''Deedar'', Nimmi also appeared alongside many notable leading ladies including Madhubala ('' Amar''), Suraiya
Suraiya Jamal Sheikh (15 June 1929 – 31 January 2004), mononymously known as Suraiya, was an Indian actress and playback singer who worked in Hindi films. She is regarded as one of the greatest and finest actresses in the history of Indian c ...
(''Shama''), Geeta Bali (''Usha Kiran''), and Meena Kumari ('' Char Dil Char Rahen''). Nimmi was also a singer and sang her own songs in the film ''Bedardi'' (1951) in which she also acted. However, she never continued singing, and recorded songs only for this film.[
]Mehboob Khan
Mehboob Khan Ramzan Khan (9 September 1907
at filmreference.com. – 28 May 1964) was a pr ...
cast her in '' Aan'' (1952). The film was made with an extremely large budget. Nimmi played one of the female leads. Such was Nimmi's popularity at this point that when a first edit of the film was shown to the film's financiers and distributors, they objected that Nimmi's character died too early. An extended dream sequence was added to give Nimmi more prominence and screen time in the film. '' Aan'' was one of the first Indian movies to have a worldwide release. The film had an extremely lavish London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
premiere which Nimmi attended. The English version was entitled ''Savage Princess''. On the London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
trip, Nimmi met many western film personalities including Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian and American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Oliv ...
. When Flynn attempted to kiss her hand, she pulled it away, exclaiming, "I am an Indian girl, you cannot do that!" The incident made the headlines and the press raved about Nimmi as the ''"... unkissed girl of India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
"''.[
Nimmi further revealed in a 2013 interview, that at the London premiere of Aan, she received four serious offers from Hollywood, including one from ]Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American filmmaker and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of American cinema and the most co ...
who greatly admired the film and Nimmi's performance.[ Nimmi declined these offers, choosing to focus on her flourishing career in India. After the great box-office success of '' Aan'', India's first technicolor film, ]Mehboob Khan
Mehboob Khan Ramzan Khan (9 September 1907
at filmreference.com. – 28 May 1964) was a pr ...
asked her to appear in his next film '' Amar'' (1954). Nimmi played a poor, milkmaid seduced by a lawyer (Dilip Kumar
Dilip Kumar (born Muhammad Yusuf Khan; 11 December 1922 – 7 July 2021) was an Indian actor and film producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. Credited with pioneering method acting in cinema, he dominated Hindi cinema from the 1950s throughout t ...
). The film also starred Madhubala as Kumar's wronged fiancée. Its controversial subject of rape was way ahead of its time and although the film was not a commercial success, Nimmi's intense performance and the film were applauded by critics. It remained the favorite film of Mehboob Khan
Mehboob Khan Ramzan Khan (9 September 1907
at filmreference.com. – 28 May 1964) was a pr ...
amongst his own productions. She acted and turned producer with the popular film ''Danka'' (1954) which was released under her own production banner. '' Kundan'' (1955), produced by Sohrab Modi
Sohrab Merwanji Modi (2 November 1897 – 28 January 1984) was an Indian stage and film actor, director and producer. His films include ''Khoon Ka Khoon'' (1935), a version of Shakespeare's ''Hamlet'', ''Sikandar (1941 film), Sikandar'', '' ...
co-starring newcomer Sunil Dutt
Sunil Dutt (born Balraj Raghunath Dutt; 6 June 1929 – 25 May 2005) was an Indian actor, film producer, director, and politician known for his work in Hindi Cinema. He acted in more than 80 films over a career spanning five decades and was t ...
, gave Nimmi a memorable double role as mother and daughter. Her sensitive portrayal earned her further recognition as a talented and spirited actress. In '' Uran Khatola'' (1955), her last of five films with Dilip Kumar
Dilip Kumar (born Muhammad Yusuf Khan; 11 December 1922 – 7 July 2021) was an Indian actor and film producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. Credited with pioneering method acting in cinema, he dominated Hindi cinema from the 1950s throughout t ...
, she starred in one of the biggest box-office successes of her career.[
Nimmi next had two big successes in 1956 with '' Basant Bahar'' and '' Bhai-Bhai''. In 1957, at the age of 24, Nimmi received the critic's award for best actress for her role in '' Bhai Bhai''. These films were also notable for her songs which were dubbed by ]Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar (; born Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. He ...
. By this point, with a largely consistent run of success at the box-office, Nimmi had firmly established herself as one of the most bankable and popular leading ladies in Hindi
Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
cinema.
In the late 1950s, Nimmi worked with renowned directors Chetan Anand (''Anjali'' ), K. A. Abbas ('' Char Dil Char Rahen'') and Vijay Bhatt ('' Angulimala''). Prepared to take risks, Nimmi took on controversial characterizations, such as the prostitute of ''Char Dil Char Raahen'' (1959). It was during this phase that Nimmi became very selective as she strove for better quality projects and roles. However, her judgment was sometimes questionable when she rejected films like B. R. Chopra's ''Sadhna'' (1958), and '' Woh Kaun Thi?'' (1963). Later both these film became big successes for Vyjayanthimala and Sadhana, respectively.
Completion of Love & God
At this point, Nimmi opted for early retirement and marriage, but not before investing her best efforts into one last film production. Director K. Asif had started his version of the Laila–Majnun love legend, '' Love and God'' even before completing his magnum opus ''Mughal-e-Azam
''Mughal-e-Azam'' () is a 1960 Indian Epic film, epic historical drama film produced and directed by K. Asif. Starring Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Madhubala, and Durga Khote, it follows the love affair between Mughal Empire, Mughal Prince ...
'' (1960). Nimmi believed that ''Love & God'' would be a fitting swan song
The swan song (; ) is a metaphorical phrase for a final gesture, effort, or performance given just before death or retirement. The phrase refers to an ancient belief that swans sing a beautiful song just before their death while they have been ...
to her career and her claim to eternal fame just as ''Mughal-e-Azam'' had immortalised its leading lady, Madhubala. K. Asif had problems casting the male lead before finally selecting Guru Dutt
Guru Dutt (born Vasanth Kumar Shivashankar Padukone; 9 July 1925 – 10 October 1964; also known as Gurudatta Padukone) was an Indian film actor, director, producer, choreographer, and writer.Rajadhyaksha, Ashish, and Paul Willemen. 9941998 ...
as Nimmi's co-star. However, Guru Dutt's sudden and premature death put a halt to the film's shooting. Sanjeev Kumar
Sanjeev Kumar (born Harihar Jethalal Jariwala; 9 July 1938 – 6 November 1985) was an Indian actor. Considered as one of the greatest actors of Indian Cinema, he is well remembered for his versatility and genuine portrayal of his characters. ...
was cast as his replacement but the film was shelved altogether when the director K. Asif died. Nimmi had retired from films for over two decades by the time K. Asif's widow Akhtar Asif released ''Love & God'' on 6 June 1986 in incomplete form.
Personal life
In her interview with Irfan and Rajya Sabha TV, Nimmi recounted that she first saw a photo of her husband Ali Raza, himself a scriptwriter with Mehboob studios, during a shooting at Famous studio. Her hairdresser had shown her Raza's photo in the film magazine " Filmindia" and asked her why she did not want to marry him. She liked the idea as she had heard about Ali Raza. Soon, her co-actor Mukri
Mohammed Umar Mukri (5 January 1922 – 4 September 2000), popularly known as Mukri, was an Indian actor, who worked as a comedian in Hindi films.
Born as Muhammad Umar Mukri in Uran. He started his film career with the film ''Pratima'' along ...
also suggested the same. They acted as cupids, subsequently, their parents met, and then they were married. Thus, the match was arranged by the two families in the usual Indian way. The couple was not blessed with children, and they were both deeply disappointed by this. They subsequently adopted Nimmi's sister's son, who now lives in Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
. Her husband Ali Raza died in 2007.[
]
Legacy
Nimmi is considered among the highest paid actresses of the 1950s and leading actresses of Indian cinema
The cinema of India, consisting of motion pictures made by the Indian film industry, has had a large effect on world cinema since the second half of the 20th century. Indian cinema is made up of various film industries, each focused on p ...
. In 2022, she was placed in ''Outlook India
''Outlook'' is a weekly general interest English and Hindi news magazine published in India.
History and profile
''Outlook'' was first issued in October 1995 with Vinod Mehta as the editor in chief. It is owned by the Rajan Raheja Group. Th ...
''s "75 Best Bollywood Actresses" list. Khalid Mohamed from ''The Quint
''The Quint'' is an English and Hindi language Indian general news and opinion website founded by Raghav Bahl and Ritu Kapur after their exit from Network18. The publication's journalists have won three Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism ...
'' noted, "The petite-framed, soft-spoken Nimmi’s forte was in incarnating roles in which she was heartbreakingly vulnerable, and was victimised by males." In an interview for Rajya Sabha TV in 2013, Nimmi recounted her complete Hindi film career, from her beginnings as a child in Agra, her first break in Barsaat to the current day, and her experiences during this time. For her contribution to Hindi films, Nimmi received the Living Legend Award at Kalakar Awards.[
]
Death
On 25 March 2020, she died at age 87.[ After a prolonged illness, she was taken to the Juhu hospital after complaining of being unable to breathe. That same evening, doctors confirmed she had died. She had been in and out of hospitals during the last year of her life.]Yesteryear actress Nimmi passes away at 87
Filmfare.com website, Published 25 March 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2021
Filmography
References
Sources
* Interview, ''Nimmi: "I have a dream to be Queen"'', The Indian Express
''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932 by P. Varadarajulu Naidu. It is headquartered in Noida, owned by the ''Indian Express Group''. It was later taken over by Ramnath Goenka. In 1999, eight y ...
Newspaper, Issue date: Friday, 30 May 1997. Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
* Reuben, Bunny. ''Mehboob: India's DeMille'', South Asia Books
* Raheja, Dinesh. ''The Hundred Luminaries of Hindi Cinema'', India Book House Publishers.
* Reuben, Bunny. ''Follywood Flashback'', Indus publishers
* Rajadhyaksha, Ashish and Willemen, Paul. ''The Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema'', Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers.
* Akbar, Khatija. ''Madhubala: Her Life, Her Films'', New Delhi: UBS Publishers' Distributors
* Lanba, Urmila. ''The Life and Films of Dilip Kumar'', Orient Paperbacks, India; New e. edition
* Ritu, Nanda. ''Raj Kapoor: His Life, His Films'', Iskusstvo
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nimmi
1933 births
2020 deaths
Actresses from Uttar Pradesh
Indian film actresses
Actresses in Hindi cinema
Entertainers from Agra
20th-century Indian actresses
20th-century Indian Muslims
Kalakar Awards winners