Remembering ‘Tragedy Queen’ Meena Kumari On Her 84th Birth Anniversary…

Meena Kumari was one of the finest actressesof Bollywood. The ‘tragedy queen’ is best remembered for her roles in movies like Pakeezah, Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, Baiju Bawra, and songs like Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Yeh, Na Jao Saiyaan and Ruk Ja Raat, to name a few. August 1 marks the 84th birth anniversary of the exceptionally intriguing Bollywood actor, Meena Kumari. Here are some lesser known facts we bring to you, to celebrate her 84th birth anniversary: Meena Kumari was born as Mahjabeen Bano. She wrote poetry under the pen name Naaz. Known as a tragedienne -- an actor who specialises in tragic roles, Meena Kumari’s life was filled with sadness both onscreen and off screen. From childhood struggles to fighting diseases and failed relationships, she truly became a tragedy queen. Born in a Mumbai chawl to a family unable to pay the clinic’s fee, Meena was abandoned at birth. Her maternal grandmother, who had left home after being widowed and remarried, was the daughter of Rabindranath Tagore’s brother. Even in death, the 39-year-old lived her tragedy; though she was wealthy like none other of her times, she was couldn’t even afford her hospital bills when she died. In his biography of Meena, Vinod Mehta wrote that Kamal Amrohi first met the actor when she was six years old and he was looking for a child artiste. Fourteen years later, he married her, ironically, on February 14, Valentine’s Day. At one point of time, Meena Kumari's income supported as many as 31 members of her family. Meena Kumari is the only actress in Hindi cinema to have received three Filmfare Awards nominations for the Best Actress in the same year. These were for the movies Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, Main Chup Rahoongi and Aarti. She won the award for her role in Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam. The actor took to drinking initially because she was exhausted. Her physician had prescribed a peg of brandy as a sleeping pill. Amrohi would later discover that the bottles of Dettol in his bathroom were actually filled with brandy. Filmmaker Tigmanshu Dhulia is reportedly making a biopic on the actress, with Kangana Ranaut in the lead. However, the movie is stalled for the time being, as Meena Kumari’s stepson Tajdar Amrohi disapproves casting Ranaut as his mother. Actresses Vidya Balan and Bhumi Pednekar have both said they would love to play the yesteryear actress in her biopic.

Zoya Ghosh

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