Legendary actress Nargisji was remembered on her birth anniversary on 1st June 2022. Nargis Dutt (born Fatima Rashid; Hindi: फातिमा रशीद, Punjabi: ਫਾਤਿਮਾ ਰਾਸ਼ਿਦ, Urdu: فاطمہ راشد; June 1, 1929 – May 3, 1981) was an Indian actress and politician who worked in Hindi cinema. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in the history of Indian cinema, she made her screen debut in a minor role at the age of five with Talash-E-Haq (1935), but her acting career actually began with the Film Tamanna (1942) In a career that spanned three decades, Nargis appeared in numerous commercially successful as well as critically acclaimed films, many of which featured her alongside actor Raj Kapoor. She was the younger sister of the well-known actor Anwar Hussain. Her best-known role was that of Radha in the Academy Award-nominated Mother India (1957), a performance that won her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress.[6] She would appear infrequently in films during the 1960s. Some of her films of this period include the drama Raat Aur Din (1967), for which she received the inaugural National Film Award for Best Actress. Nargis married her Mother India co-star Sunil Dutt in 1958. Together they had three children, including the actor Sanjay Dutt. Along with her husband, Nargis formed the Ajanta Arts Culture Troupe which hired several leading actors and singers of the time and held stage shows at border areas. In the early 1970s, Nargis became the first patron of The Spastic Society of India and her subsequent work with the organisation brought her recognition as a social worker and later a Rajya Sabha nomination in 1980. Nargis died in 1981 of pancreatic cancer, only three days before her son Sanjay Dutt made his debut in Hindi films with the film Rocky. In 1982, the Nargis Dutt Memorial Cancer Foundation was established in her memory. The award for Best Feature Film on National Integration in the Annual Film Awards ceremony is called the Nargis Dutt Award in her honour In 2000, she was honoured with "best actress of the millennium" by Hero Honda and film magazine Stardust. Nargis appeared in numerous films after her debut. In 1943 at the age of 14, she appeared in Mehboob Khan's Taqdeer, opposite Motilal. The film was a box office success, and she was extensively praised for her performance. Filmindia referred to it as "an excellent debut". Following Taqdeer, Nargis starred in the 1945 period drama Humayun, opposite the leading actor of those times, Ashok Kumar. The film was moderately successful. Among her early releases were Mela, Anokha Pyar and Aag all in 1948. The former two starred her with Dilip Kumar and the latter marked her first collaboration with Raj Kapoor. Except Mela, which was among the highest-grossing films of that year, none of her film fared well in 1948. In 1949, Nargis starred in Mehboob Khan's critically acclaimed drama Andaz. The film saw her playing Neena, whose husband Rajan (Raj Kapoor) suspects of her having an affair with her friend Dilip (Dilip Kumar). It had a slow start at the box office, but as soon as positive word-of-mouth spread, it emerged as a major commercial success and the highest-grossing film of all time. The film was first hit in Kapoor's career, and a breakthrough for Nargis and Kumar. After the success of the movie, Kapoor cast her again as a leading lady in his second directorial venture after the unsuccessful Aag (1948). This venture of Kapoor's was released in the same year, starring Nargis as a village belle and him starring as a poet. It was titled Barsaat. The film was the debut of Nimmi, who would later become a well-known actress. Its release was already hyped due to the huge success of Andaz, and therefore it became another major box office success. Barsaat was the highest-grossing film of 1949, as well as of all time, breaking the record of Andaz. Next, Nargis played the lead roles in 1950 films Jogan and Babul, along with Dilip Kumar. Both of them were box-office hits and her performance in Babul was specially noticed. Due to the success of Andaz and Barsaat, Raj Kapoor was impressed by Nargis' onscreen charm and presence. He therefore chose her to play a character in Awaara (1951) (often written as Awāra). Although it revolved around a father and his estranged son, Nargis played an important role in the movie as a lawyer who knows the truth that Raj (played by Kapoor) and Raghunath (played by Prithviraj Kapoor) are son-father. Unlike the roles played by other actresses of those times, Nargis portrayed an outspoken woman-lawyer who criticises the people who regard woman as a "thing made for household chores". She was also seen donning a swimwear in a scene from Awaara, a quite bold dress for Indian woman to wear in that era. The film was released on 14 December 1951, receiving universal acclaim for the performances of Prithviraj, Raj and Nargis. Not only in India, the film was a blockbuster overseas too, making Nargis and Raj well-known stars in countries such as Greece and the United States. Grossing ₹12.5 million in India, it became the highest-grossing film of all time, breaking the record of Barsaat. Deedar, released in the same year was another hit in Nargis' filmography. She was paired opposite Trilok Kapoor, uncle of Raj Kapoor, in Pyar Ki Baatein directed by her elder brother Akhtar Hussain. Nargis' films released between 1952 and 1954 did not perform well, neither critically and commercially. In 1952, she had as many as six releases, only Anhonee being a success. 1953 and 1954 saw her doing five films, none of them a box-office hit. However, her 1953 film Aah has gained a cult status over the years.Nargis revived her career with Raj Kapoor's social drama Shree 420 (1955) which became the highest-grosser at the time. Nargis and Raj Kapoor acted together in 16 films spanning over a period of 10 years, including Awaara, Shree 420, Jagte Raho (cameo), Andaz, Chori Chori, Aah, Aag and Barsaat. Their first film together was Aag in 1948. Aag was not a commercial success, Aah's earnings were average, but others were commercially successful. Songs from these movies featuring them have grown to become memorable. Some examples are "Barsat mein humse mile" and "Jiya beqarar hai" (in Barsaat); "Dam bhar jo udhar munh phere" and "Ghar aaya mera pardesi" (in Awaara); "Sham gayi raat aayi", "Ichak dana beechak dana" and "Pyar hua ikr

ar hua" (in Shree 420); and "Pancchi banoon udti phiroon", "Aa ja sanam madhur chandni mein", and "Yeh raat bheegi bheegi" (in Chori Chori).[28] Their work in Awaara made the couple famous internationally. Her films and songs should be restored and preserved.