Melancholic yet mesmerising. Elusive and enchanting. 51 years after her demise, Meena Kumari remains Bollywood’s ‘Tragedy Queen’ par excellence. Known for depicting women marginalised by society, or a victim to the cruel whims of fate, she cast a spell over the audience with one elegiac performance after the other. On her 89th birth anniversary, here are some of her most memorable films.
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2/6
‘Pakeezah’ (1972)
51 years later, this Kamal Amrohi directorial continues to be a benchmark in Bollywood. Often described as a “monument” to his late wife (Kumari), the movie was considered a milestone in Bollywood, especially for its depiction of Muslim culture and the inner lives of the courtesans. The movie was also Kumari’s swan song. Her performance as Nargis and Sahibjaan, a pair of courtesans who are eternally desired, yet othered, remains the blueprint for portraying such characters even today. Kumari was simply unparalleled when it came to depicting pride, pathos, as well as the perennial desire for agency. The movie went on to be the highest-grossing movie of 1972.
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3/6
Baiju Bawra (1952)
This is another gut-wrenching tear-jerker. The movie depicts the doom romance of two star-crossed lovers- Baiju (Bharat Bhushan) a brilliant minstrel on a mission to avenge his father, and Gauri, his childhood confidante. Kumari was mesmerising as Gauri, a simple village belle, who wants to be with her true love at all costs
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4/6
‘Sahib Bibi Aur Gulaam’ (1962)
Kumari delivers another powerful performance as Chhoti Bahu who tries to grapple with her husband’s alcohol addiction and roving eye. In a bid to stop her husband from straying, she joins him on his binge drinking sprees and inadvertently becomes an alcoholic herself. Also starring Guru Dutt and Waheeda Rehman, the movie was an adaptation of Bimal Mitra’s 1953 novel of the same name.
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5/6
‘Dil Apna Preet Parai’ (1960)
Once again, Kumari proves that she is unsurpassed when it comes to portraying women, unlucky in love. As Karuna, a besotted young woman, who finds out that her betrothed has been married off to another, she appeared as the very epitome of heartbreak.
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6/6
‘Kaajal’ (1965)
Kumari delivers another nuanced, pitch-perfect performance as Madhavi, an orphan, whom fate deprives of happiness and dignity again and again. From losing her brother in a freak accident to getting wrongfully accused of adultery, to getting hitched to a man who has an ulterior agenda, Madhavi is treated as fate’s punching bag, and Kumari portrays her helplessness and despondence beautifully.
