BOMBAY: Hindi cinema’s most versatile and talented actress Nutan died of suspected lung cancer at this city’s Breach Candy Hospital Thursday afternoon. She was 56.
The actress who had undergone treatment for breast cancer a year ago was admitted to the hospital last week.
She had shown no symptoms of being seriously ill till a fortnight ago when she was shooting in the city for “Garjana” her costar in the film character actor Jankidas told the press trust of India.
Her only child Mohnish Bahl an upcoming actor who was shooting in Ooty reached her beside some ten minutes after her death.
Nutan was only 15 when she was launched as a heroine opposite Shekhar in 1950 by her mother noted actress Shobhana Samarth in the home production “Hamari Beti” featuring her family mother sister Tanuja and father figure Motilal.
Subsequently she featured in Humlog Nagina Sone Ki Chidiya Seema and parbat.
The box office success of “paying guest” in 1957 opposite Dev Anand catapulted her to the top In 1963 she played the lead in two diametrically opposite films “Bandini” a serious film and “Tere Ghar Ke Samne” an entertainer. She proved to be equally at ease in enacting serious and comedy roles.
A veteran of over a hundred films including “Saudagar” opposite Amitabh Bachchan “Anari” “Chalia” “Kanhaiya™ and “Dil Hi To Hai” opposite late Raj Kapoor she held sway over the Hindi film industry for about three decades.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 1, 1991
