Nargis

About

Nargis, born Fatima Rashid on June 1, 1929, is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actresses in the history of Indian cinema. Making her screen debut as a child artist in Talash-e-Haq (1935), her adult acting career began with Tamanna in 1942. Over a career spanning more than three decades, she starred in numerous commercially successful and critically acclaimed films. She formed a legendary on-screen pairing with actor and director Raj Kapoor in classics such as Awaara, Barsaat, Shree 420, and Chori Chori. Her career peaked with her performance as Radha in the Academy Award-nominated epic Mother India (1957). This career-defining role won her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress and cemented her status as an icon of Indian cinema. In 1958, she married her Mother India co-star Sunil Dutt, after he heroically saved her from a fire on the film's set, and she subsequently retired from active filmmaking to raise her family. She was the first actress to be honored with the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award. In her later years, she dedicated herself to social causes, serving as the first patron of the Spastics Society of India. Her significant public service led to her nomination to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament, in 1980. Nargis tragically passed away from pancreatic cancer on May 3, 1981, just three days before the premiere of her son Sanjay Dutt's debut film, Rocky.

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