Reliving Waheeda's past

Waheeda Rehman was born on May 14th 1936 in Hyderabad.Her father,a DM was posted all over the South.She was a Tamillian by birth and made her debut at the age of 13 in a Telegu film,Rojulu Marayi.She was trained in Bharatnatyam and as such did a dance number in that film.It was here that Guru Dutt spotted her and took her in CID and Pyasa.She lost her father at the early age of 12 and within fews years of joining hindi films she lost her mother too.

Waheeda the Star

After Pyasa Waheeda did Kagaz Ke Phool, Chaudhvi Ka Chand, Sahib Biwi aur Ghulam and became a part of Guru Dutt's creative team.After 1962 she started ventures outside Guru Dutt banners.After Bees Saal Baad she signed films opposite Raj Kapoor(Teesri Kasam) and Dilip Kumar.She was looked with a new respect when at this very time Satyajit Ray chose her for his film, Abhijan opposite Soumitra Chatterjee.

The Crowning Glory

When Waheeda signed for Guide there were many producers who were just aghast. But Waheeda knew that it would be a great film and she was proved right.Guide today is the crowning glory of Waheeda's illustrious career.Her dances as well as her emotive prowess made Guide into one of the most enduring classics of Hindi Cinema.She won the Filfare Best Actress Award for this film.Then Just two years later she again won the same for Neelkamal.

Motherhood in real life.

Though she gave some very good films (Khamoshi, Reshma Aur Shera, Teesri Kasam,etc) after Guide and Neelkamal but they failed in the Box office.At around this time Kamaljit (who had starred opposite Waheeda in Shagun) proposed marriage.Waheeda accepted and shifted to a farmhouse in Bangalore.Waheeda, the die-hard romantic, the rebellious Rosy in Guide, the superb dancer with wings on her feet, found herself taking to farming. She became an expert on oats, bran and all these health foods which she even attempted launching under her own name.Though occasionally she did films with character roles. But the pivot of her life remained her two children,Kashvi and Sohail.Sohail,MBA, works in a company and daughter Kashvi has done jewellery designing course from abroad.

She's Back

In the 90's after her husbands illness she cut down on her film assignments and shifted back to her Bandra Bunglow in Mumbai.Then she decided to give another go to films with Karan Johar's Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Ghum. Her husbands untimely demise in Nov.2000 saw her opting out of the film.Now she stays in Mumbai, tucked away on a shoulder of Bandras Bandstand, that is far from the madding crowd that throng the sea front.The throbbing beat of techno from the fishing colony close by, die out at the steps of Sahil,her home for the last two years.But yesteryear heroine is no retired mother-of-two.She is starting a new film, Om Jai Jagdish,directed by Anupam Kher, and stars Abhishek Bachchan,Anil Kapoor and Fardeen Khan.She plays the mother.And that is really good news for all Waheeda Fans.

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