Remembering Nanda: Hum Dono, Gumnaam and her other memorable films

Veteran Bollywood actress Nanda, best known for her stellar performances in films like Hum Dono, Ittefaq and Gumnaam, passed away today following a massive heart attack, family sources said.

Born to Marathi film actor-director Vinayak Damodar Karnataki, Nanda began her silver screen career early as a child artist with Jaggu in the 50s.

Her popularity as a child actress made her transition to major roles easier as she literally grew up on film sets.

It was her paternal uncle-filmmaker V Shantaram who gave Baby Nanda a big break by casting her in 1956 hit Toofan Aur Diya in 1956.

With the success of Toofan Aur Diya, Nanda did not look back and went on to establish herself in the Hindi film industry.

She was one of the leading actresses of Bollywood for three decades. Here is a look at some of her most memorable performances.

1. Jab Jab Phool Khile: Released in 1965,  this film was yet another rich girl- falling-for-the- poor-boy Bollywood romance. However, it had an excellent run at the box office. Set in the beautiful Kashmir the film also starred Shashi Kapoor with whom Nanda shared a palpable onscreen chemistry. In this film, the otherwise traditionally dressed Nanda changed her style and experimented with western outfits.

2. Gumnaam: A 1965 suspense thriller, this film was a huge box office success especially because of its songs, composed by Shankar-Jaikishen. An adaptation of Agatha Christie’s novel And Then There Were None, the film also starred Manoj Kumar.

3. Teen Deviyan: Starring alongside Dev Anand in this 1965 film, Nanda played one of the three ladies with whom Anand’s character falls in love. The other two deviyans in the film were Simi Garewal and Kalpana.

4. Ittefaq: Although it was directed by Yash Chopra, this Nanda starrer was a song-less and serious film. It did fairly well at the box office and was appreciated for its gritty plot. This was the first time Nanda and Rajesh Khanna worked together.

5. The Train: Rajesh Khanna and Nanda teamed up again for this 1970’s film. A suspense thriller, the film is about a Police Inspector (Rajesh Khanna) Shyam Kumar who sets out to solve a series of murders all of which takes place on a train.

Although Nanda  gained popularity as a lead actress, she excelled most often as a supporting star.

The audiences often identified her with the archetype  ‘Choti Bahen’. She shared screen space with noted actors like Ashok Kumar, Kishore Kumar, Dev Anand, Waheeda Rehman, Rajesh Khanna and Shashi Kapoor.

Nanda was nominated for a Filmfare Award five times for her performance in Bhabhi (1957), Aanchal (1960), Ittefaq (1969), Ahista Ahista (1981) and Prem Rog (1982).

She won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for Aanchal. After a small role in Manoj Kumar’s 1972 film Shor, Nanda reduced her work in films. Her other films such as Chhalia and Naya Nasha did not work.

She made a brief return to acting in 1982 as a character actress where she played the onscreen mother of Padmini Kolhapure in Ahista Ahista, Mazdoor and Prem Rog.

After that she retired from acting. Nanda’s last rites will be performed at 4 pm at the Oshiwara crematorium.

With inputs from wires