Nargis: The actor who breathed life into ‘modern Indian woman’ in the 1940s, will forever be ‘Mother India’   

One could say that the teenager at the time was mildly manipulated into being in the movies as the producers, including her co-star Motilal, told her that they would lose lakhs if she chose not to participate. She gave in and made them promise that they wouldn’t force her to do any more movies. That accident soon became Nargis’ career. And soon after, she found herself as one of the most celebrated and refined actors at the movies. However, the societal censure followed as her school teacher made her feel bad about her choice of career. “I cried till I could cry no more. But when the tears were exhausted, I began to think. I thought, my mother works in films. But she is not bad. She is the most wonderful woman in the world…” she told Filmfare.

Nargis, Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar in Andaz.

The 1949 film Andaz is widely considered as Nargis’ breakthrough role and for her, it was the one of the roles that she thoroughly enjoyed. The film had her starring with Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor, and playing a woman who is surrounded by bossy men. Yet, it was her personality that never made her come across as a pushover. Dilip Kumar believed that the versatility that Nargis showed on screen was admirable, and even though she was a much bigger star than him when they worked together initially, she made sure that he was treated as an equal. “The kind of versatility she had, no other artist has shown it. She was a delightful person, easy to work with. There was no pressure while working with her, you didn’t feel like you were working with a star,” he shared in a documentary made by Priya Dutt on the late star.

Her 1950 film Jogan was another landmark film in her career. Here, Nargis played a sage-like character who has dedicated her life to God. Until Jogan, Nargis had earned the reputation of playing the modern-Indian woman who was miles away from the abla naari (damsel in distress) that was often seen on screen. With Jogan, she still wasn’t playing the bechari, but a woman who had deep faith in her God and was decisive enough to take a stand for herself. Such was the impact of this film on her that Nargis even thought about giving up the materialistic world and living the life of a sanyasi. “I clearly remember Jogan. There was a time when I started feeling that it would be better if I give up on the materialistic world because I was deeply into the role,” she shared in an AIR interview.

Dilip Kumar and Nargis in Jogan.

A very significant part of Nargis’ career was her on screen partnership with Raj Kapoor and in many ways, it laid the foundation for RK Studios. In fact, much of RK Studios’ earlier success came about thanks to Nargis’ presence in those films. Their 1951 film Awaara cemented their place as icons of Indian cinema and while Raj had the titular role here, Nargis’ character was just as important. Her screen presence had a certain sense of rebellion. Her character appeared like she didn’t have the baggage of any inhibitions, and that transparency was evident to the audience.

But even an actor of her caliber was up for a challenge when she played a double role in 1952’s Anhonee. One of the characters was that of a courtesan and to understand what it meant to play a courtesan, Nargis decided to visit a kotha and learn the delicate movements that enchanted the visitors in these places. In another All Indian Radio interview, Nargis shared that since it was a “difficult role”, she dressed up in men’s clothing and secretly visited a kotha with her brother. “I listened to the mujra that was performed there and I observed the dancer’s gestures closely so I could use it in the movie,” she shared. Anhonee also had her taking up smoking because her character in the film smoked. “Even when I was not in the shot, I would have a cigarette in my hand,” she said.

Nargis in a double role in Anhonee.

Even though Nargis was one of the most respected actors in the 1950s, the 1957 film Mother India, directed by Mehboob Khan, put her on a pedestal that no other female actor had seen before. Playing a woman through the span of her life — from a young bride to mother of two adult children – Nargis pushed the boundary of what an actor could do on screen. Her co-stars here Sunil Dutt, Rajendra Kumar and Raaj Kumar were relatively new and Nargis was the star, so she knew how to lead by example. Sunil Dutt, in Priya’s documentary, shared that when they shooting for the scene which required her to be slathered in wet mud, Nargis would quietly put it on every single day. “The wet mud had started smelling. But everyday she would get ready, get that mud on herself without any hesitation and she would be ready for the shot,” he recalled.

Nargis won many accolades for her work in Mother India and she deserved them all. “I believe I deserved the award I got for Mother India. I put in a lot of hard work. If people had not liked it, then I would have been upset,” she told AIR.

Mother India starred Sunil Dutt, Nargis and Rajendra Kumar (Photo: Express Archives)

But soon after Mother India, Nargis retired from the movies. She finished a few of the projects that were still pending, including Raat Aur Din, which shot for almost ten years, but Nargis had decided that she would bid adieu to the world of movies after she got married. She liked to immerse herself in her characters and was of the belief that balancing the two worlds – of family and movies – was a tough road for a woman. “I thought that I can’t manage both these lives at the same time. Either my personal life would suffer, or my work would suffer,” she said. But she believed that she would come back to the movies after her kids were grown up. Unfortunately, that never happened as she passed away at the age of 52 in 1981.

Nargis wanted to come back to the movies, but even at time she was keenly aware that playing stereotypical mother roles wasn’t going to be her cup of tea. But if they made something worth her time, she would jump at the opportunity because for her, her work was her religion. “If I like that role, I would have no objection. I love my art and I think of it as a religion,” she said.