India's biggest female star was tortured by husband, alcohol ruined her; was once rival to Nutan, Madhubala, died at 38

The 60s was the golden age of Hindi cinema as the first generation of post-independence actors took footing as lead stars. The triumvirate of Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, and Dev Anand was ever present but a new generation of actresses were now paired opposite them. And while Nutan and Madhubala were the frontrunners to be called numero uno, one ‘shayara’ from Bombay trumped them all. And yet, her flame flickered only for a short time.

The poet who was India’s biggest female star

Born Mahjabeen to Ali Bux and Iqbal Begum in 1933, she gained fame with her nom de guerre Meena Kumari. Her father Ali Bux wanted a son and left his infant daughter at an orphanage. However, hours later he changed his mind and brought her back. Still, the father and daughter had a fraught relationship. Little Mahjabeen entered the film industry as a child artiste at age 6 and soon became the only earner of the family. By the early 1950s, she became an established actress with hits like Baiju Bawra, Parineeta, and Chandni Chowk. But it was hits like Sharada (1957), Sahara (1958), and Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai (1960) that firmly established herself as the leading female star in India, earning her the moniker ‘Tragedy Queen’. She went on to star in blockbusters like Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, Dil Ek Mandir, and Kaajal, displacing Madhubala and Nutan as the de facto queen of Bollywood.

Meena Kumari’s tragic personal life

When she was a teenager, Meena Kumari met filmmaker Kamal Amrohi. Even though Amrohi was married, the two began a romance and secrely married in 1952. At the time, Meena Kumari was 18 and Amrohi was 33. Her husband laid down several conditions for Meena Kumari if she wanted to continue acting. When differences arose between the husband and wife, there would be arguments and often physical altercations as well. Many in the filmdom spoke in hushed tones of Amrohi ‘torturing’ Meena Kumari. Actress Nargis once recalled that Amrohi would beat Meena Kumari often, and have spies in her entourage. This led to their separation.

How alcoholism killed Meena Kumari

Till the late-1960s, Meena Kumari continued to star in successive hits, but it all came to a halt in 1968. The last of her hits, Baharon Ki Manzil, was released in this year. Thereafter she hit a career slump. Part of the reason was her excessive dependence on alcohol. The troubles in her personal life had turned her into an alcoholic and she would often drink on sets too. In 1971, she bounced back somewhat with the odd in Mere Apne. But it was not enough to revive her career as her other films kept flopping. By later that year, she developed liver cirrhosis. Despite this, she completed her biggest film – Pakeezah. Released in 1972, it was a blockbuster. But Meena Kumari succumbed to her illness just weeks later.  She was just 38.

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