After six decades of acting excellence, Waheeda Rehman to receive Dadasaheb Phalke Award

I feel an immense sense of happiness and honour in announcing that Waheeda Rehman ji is being bestowed with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Lifetime Achievement Award this year for her stellar contribution to Indian Cinema.

Waheeda ji has been critically acclaimed for her…

— Anurag Thakur (@ianuragthakur) September 26, 2023

Rehman is also a recipient of the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan.

The actor, born on February 3, 1938 in Chengalpattu in Tamil Nadu, made her debut in Tamil film Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum, but it was Rojulu Marayi (1955) in Telugu that released first. Backed by Guru Dutt, she entered Hindi cinema with CID (1956), which had Dev Anand as the protagonist, in a meaty role. Though only 17 then, she vehemently opposed the suggestion to change her name. Several popular actors of that time had adopted a more universal sounding name — Ashok Kumar, Dilip Kumar, Madhubala, Meena Kumari. On the sets of CID, when she was asked to wear a blouse with a deep cut, she once again put her foot down, saying it was not needed for that scene.

Described as a “wooden doll” by CID director Raj Khosla, she would soon prove him wrong, breaking out with her very next role — Guru Dutt-directed Pyaasa (1957), in which she played Gulabo, a sex worker in love with a dejected poet and his poetry.

In the years that followed, Rehman’s association with two stalwarts, Anand and Dutt, helped her follow an interesting career trajectory, taking up a range of roles that showcased her talent and luminous screen presence.

In 1958, Rehman acted in entertaining movies such as 12 O’Clock and Solva Saal, opposite Dutt and Anand, respectively. The next year, she was seen as Shanti in Dutt’s much-talked-about Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), which can be cited as one of the best examples of his arthouse sensibilities. Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960), which reunited her with Dutt on screen, brought her the much-needed commercial success after Kaagaz Ke Phool’s box-office debacle.

In the 1960s, Rehman appeared in a number of critically acclaimed movies, including Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962), Satyajit Ray’s Abhijan (1962), Guide (1965) and Teesri Kasam (1966). Though some had reservations over casting her in Guide, the film’s lead actor and producer Anand was convinced that the Bharatnatyam-trained actor was the perfect choice to essay the character of Rosie. Speaking about her choice of roles to Arbaaz Khan on the show The Invincibles, Rehman said she loved doing “a variety of roles”, not just “romantic interests”.

Going by the ageist attitude of the industry, it was not a surprise that Rehman, two years after playing Amitabh Bachhan’s wife in Kabhi Kabhie (1976), played his mother in Trishul (1978) (though they don’t appear together on screen).

Later on, she played remarkable supporting characters in movies such as Chandni (1989) and Lamhe (1991). Movies such as Rang De Basanti (2006) and Delhi 6 (2009), both directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, benefited from Rehman’s presence and craft.

When Rehman was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award during the Mumbai Film Festival in 2012, she told The Indian Express that though she tries “to live in the present”, she does believe she “could have done better”. She called Guide her “favourite” but added: “I could have worked on the dance movements, done them better.”

During her illustrious career, Rehman worked with several top directors including Vijay Anand, Asit Sen, Sunil Dutt, Gulzar and Yash Chopra. Rehman, though considered a mainstream actor, was willing to step out of her comfort zone for a meaty role. “An artist should be able to do anything. If producers and directors were willing to handle an interesting subject, I had no qualms about trying it out,” said Rehman, who tried her hands at wildlife photography some years back and had expressed her desire to experience scuba diving.