Nanda Actress

Introduction

Indian actress Nanda Karnataki, popularly known by her stage name Nanda, mostly appeared in Hindi and Marathi motion pictures. Throughout her more than 30-year of career, she contributed to almost 300 films. Nanda gained prominence for her outstanding roles in the following movies: Hum Dono (1961), Kala Bazar (1960), Kanoon (1960), Bhabhi (1957), Chhoti Behen (1959), Dhool Ka Phool (1959), Jab Jab Phool Khile (1965), Gumnaam (1965), Ittefaq (1969), The Train (1970), and Prem Rog (1982). For the 1961 movie "Aanchal," she won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Biography

Born on Sunday, January 8, 1939, Nandini Winayak Karnataki was 75 years old when she passed away in Kolhapur (now Maharashtra, India). Capricorn is her zodiac sign. She was a diligent youngster. Her father invited her to go with him to the filming location one day when she was just five years old. Lata Mangeshkar was portraying a sister in the 1948 Hindi film "Mandir," which her father was filming at the time. Because Nanda liked school, she wouldn't go with him. She told her mother about it and expressed her distaste for taking action. Her mother tried to convince her otherwise by promising it would be the first and final time. Nanda's father forced her to dress as a guy and gave her a little part in the movie when she arrived at the set.

Her father passed away on August 19, 1947, due to a cardiac attack. Her father's production manager visited their house a few days after he passed away, bringing a guy, and informed her mother that this individual had his money taken by Vinayak Saab.

In order to settle her father's debts, her mother opted to sell their home, other assets, and automobiles because she didn't want a stain on Nanda's father's record. Nanda soon found herself and her family living on the streets with very little money. They then moved to her maternal aunt's home in Tardeo, Mumbai, who resided in the Sonawala building. When the movie "Mandir" was released in 1948, "Baby Nanda" gained popularity. Nanda subsequently decided to pursue an acting profession in order to support her family financially. Nanda financed the education of her six siblings by pursuing a profession in movies. Her involvement in movies caused her academic pursuits to suffer. Subsequently, Gokuldas V.Makhi, the commissioner of the Bombay Scouts and a famous instructor, homeschooled her.

Personal life

A lieutenant colonel from Maharashtra fell in love with Nanda in 1965 while the movie "Jab Jab Phool Khile" was being shot. He requested the filmmaker Suraj Prakash to inform Nanda's mother of his proposal of marriage. Later on, though, nothing came of it. Additionally, there were rumors that Nanda was dating actor Vijay Anand. Vijay did not deny or acknowledge their relationship when questioned about it. When Nanda learned about it, she became quite upset.

Waheeda Rehman encouraged middle-aged Nanda to get engaged to filmmaker Manmohan Desai in 1992. However, in March 1994 he had fallen from the terrace of his Girgaon rental apartment and died. Nanda didn't get married.

Nanda only spoke with her close friends and family when she was living in her Mumbai apartment. Among her close pals in the film business were Nagis, Asha Parekh, Saira Banu, Helen, Mala Sinha, Sadhana, Shakila, and Jabeen Jaleel.)

Family

Vinayak Damodar and Sushila (Meenaxi) Karnataki, the parents of Nanda, are members of a show business family. Her mother worked at home, while her father-also known as Master Vinayak-was a well-known Marathi and Hindi director and producer. Meena, Jaymala, Bharati, and Mangala were the names of Nanda's four sisters. Bharati and Mangla are twins. In addition, she has two brothers: Jaiprakash Karnatki, a younger filmmaker and producer, and Subhash Karnatki, the older.

Nanda is a niece of Shantaram Rajaram Vankudre, an Indian director and producer. Her paternal uncle was the cinematographer Vasudev Karnataki. Her father's half-brothers, the well-known performers Baburao and Bhalji Pendharkar, were her step-uncles.

Her sister-in-law was the actress Jayshree T., who was married to Nanda's brother Jaiprakash Karnatki. In addition, she was the sister-in-law of C. V. K. Sastry, a Hindi film producer who was married to Meena, Nanda's sister.

Career

From 1948 to 1956, Nanda acted as a young actress in Marathi and Hindi movies. In 1948, she made her acting debut in the Bollywood picture "Mandir." After appearing in the movie, she gained popularity as "Baby Nanda." She next made an appearance in the 1952 movie "Jaggu" as a young actress. Additionally, she portrayed a young actress in the 1954 motion pictures Jagriti, Bandish, and Angarey. As a young performer, Nanda appeared in the Marathi movies Shevgacha Shenga (1955), Jagat Guru Shankaracharya (1955), and Kuldaivat (1955). Nanda's paternal uncle, V. Shantaram, was a producer and director. He put her in the 1956 film "Toofan Aur Diya," which gave her a great debut when she was in her teens. She played the role of "nandini". Both reviewers and viewers commended her for the role she played in the movie.

Because of the movie's success, she was able to land several supporting parts and become well-known for playing "Lata" in the 1957 Bollywood movie "Bhabhi." For her role in "Bhabhi," Nanda was nominated for her first Filmfare. She was unable to win it, though.

She then portrayed "Meena" in the 1959 film "Chhoti Bahen," which went on to become a huge hit. Following the movie, Nanda rose to fame and gained recognition as a gifted actor who could play impressionist parts.

She later supported Bollywood actors like Dev Anand in the films "Dhool Ka Phool" (1959) and "Kala Bazar" (1960).

As a supporting actress, she starred in some well-known Hindi films, such as "Amar Rahe Yeh Pyar" (1961), "Aashiq" (1962), "Nartakee" (1963), "Aaj Aur Kal" (1963), and "Mera Qasoor Kya Hai" (1964). She appeared in supporting roles in numerous Marathi movies, including "Deoghar," "Jhale Gele Visrun Ja" (1957), and "Aai Vina Baal," in addition to Hindi movies.

As a Lead

Nanda first got recognition in the business as a supporting actor, but in her later years, she also became well-known as a lead. Nanda portrayed the lead characters of "Nanda" and "Ruma" in the 1961 and 1965 motion pictures "Hum Dono" and "Teen Devian."

The two movies were enormous hits. She then starred in the lead role of B.R. Chopra's song less 1960 film "Kanoon." She afterward appeared in the movies alongside well-known actors, including Rajesh Khanna, Waheeda Rehman, Ashok Kumar, Kishore Kumar, Dev Anand, and Shashi Kapoor. When Shashi Kapoor was still relatively unknown in the film industry, she starred in eight films with him. The remaining movies were enormous hits, despite the fact that their two films, "Char Diwari" (1961) and "Mehndi Lagi Mere Haath" (1962), did not play well at the box office. The two had a successful run of films, including "Jab Jab Phool Khile" (1965), "Mohabbat Isko Kahete Hain" (1965), "Neend Hamari Khwab Tumhare" (1966), "Raja Saab" (1969), and "Rootha Na Karo" (1970). Nanda portrayed her first ever Westernized part in the 1965 film "Jab Jab Phool Khile." She starred alongside Manoj Kumar in the popular film "Gumnaam" in 1965, elevating her to the status of leading lady. Her role as the lead in the 1969 movie "Ittefaq" was opposite Rajesh Khanna. After that, the pair starred together in the popular movies "Joroo Ka Ghulam" (1972) and "The Train" (1970).

With Jeetendra, she even starred in some successful movies, such as "Parivar" (1956) and "Dharti Kahe Pukar Ke" (1969).

She co-starred with Sanjay Khan in the 1968 film "Abhilasha" and the 1969 film "Beti. Nanda acted alongside Dharmendra in the 1964 film "Mera Kasoor Kya Hai" and the 1965 film "Akashdeep."

After Retirement

Following her brief appearance in Manoj Kumar's 1972 film "Shor," Nanda's involvement in the movies decreased. Her appearances in the low-grossing films "Chhalia" (1973) and "Naya Nasha" (1974) were modest. Due to her inability to work well with younger performers such as Navin Nischol, Vinod Mehra, Deb Mukherjee, and Parikshit Sahni, she gradually lost her job. In 1982, she briefly returned to the screen in three successful films: Mahdoor (1983), Prem Rog (1982), and Ahista Ahista (1981). Remarkably, she appeared in all three films as the mother of Padmini Kolhapure's character. She stopped acting after that.

Some of the popular songs in which she was casted

Numerous well-known songs have been adapted for the screen, including Nanda. A few of them consist of:

• Meethi Meethi Baaton Se, sung by Lata Mangeshkar, from the 1958 film "Qaidi No. 1"
• Lata Mangeshkar sang the song "Bhaiya Mere Rakhi Ke Bandhan Ko Nibhana" from the 1959 film "Chhoti Behen."
• Aaha Rimjhim Ke, sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Talat Mahmood, from the 1960 movie "Usne Kaha Tha."
• Lata Mangeshkar sang Allah Tero Naam and Ishwar Tero Naam from the 1961 movie "Hum Dono."

Controversies

Nanda's relatives challenged a will in which she left a large portion of her wealth, including a Versova triplex apartment, to a trust in a 2016 Bombay High Court lawsuit. Claiming that Nanda was very close to them and stating that she had no reason to designate her business partner and certified accountant to handle her estate, her nine family members said the will was a fake. The deed of settlement of the trust that contained the majority of Nanda's assets, a handwritten inventory of her jewelry, and a copy of her will were allegedly withheld by Shah and Hirji, her business partner and chartered accountant, respectively.

Assets owned by Nanda

Nanda acquired land areas in Shahpur, Thane district, commercial space at Four Bungalows, a sea-facing triplex apartment in the Quarter Deckbuilding in Versova, gold, silverware, stocks, cash, bank deposits, and numerous other movables valued at over Rs 20 crores.

Death

Nanda died on March 25, 2014, in her Mumbai home in Versova from a heart attack. When she passed away, she was 75 years old. Speaking to a television program after her unexpected passing, one of her family members stated,

It is astonishing because she had no prior medical history.

The following day, her funeral was held at Mumbai's Oshiwara Crematorium. Nanda wore the white Salwar Kameez that Saira Banu had given her as a birthday present for her final ceremonies. Saira Banu sobbed when she saw her looking like that and remarked, I hadn't given the clothing as a present for this occasion! Nanda spoke with her brother Jaiprakash Karnatki on the phone for approximately an hour the day before she passed away.

Facts about Nanda

• When Nanda had free time, she enjoyed taking trips overseas and watching movies in her home theater.
• She is a non-vegetarian. Nanda did not consume any alcohol.
• She used to enjoy listening to the radio when she was a teenager. But since her father had passed away and she had just recently started working, her family was unable to purchase a radio in the 1950s. She would thus frequently sit on the Sonawala balcony & listen to the radio that was playing from a nearby sweet shop. Nanda used to save money for a radio she wanted to purchase. But at that same moment, Prafull, her brother, fell and broke his bones. He needed to get surgery. Nanda gave up on the plan of purchasing the radio and chose to use the money for his surgery.
• Nanda never asked anyone for financial favors and was self-sufficient. She had never ordered her food at the producer's expense, even after she became so well-known. She would always bring her lunch to the shooting locations. She always covered her family members' fares if she brought them to the shooting sets. She would occasionally refund the pre-received payment if a movie were shelved.
• Her brother claimed that Nanda had a cool head and didn't think disputes were worth having. She would cut off communication with someone for a period if she were displeased with them. Nanda didn't like having her life questioned about herself and preferred to keep it private.
• Following the huge success of the song "Bhaiya Mere Rakhi Ke Bandhan Ko Nibhana," which was based on Nanda, from the 1959 film "Chhoti Behen," Nanda was adopted as the sister of the country. Following the song's popularity, her admirers began mailing her rakhis on Raksha Bandhan, which she would sign and return.
• She was once asked to play his sister in the 1960 Hindi film "Kala Bazaar" by Dev Anand. She declined the offer, claiming that she would never have the opportunity to play his movie heroine. Dev promised her that he would give her another opportunity to play her heroine soon. Dev honored his word, and the two made an appearance together in the 1961 Hindi film "Hum Dono."
• Her loved ones and friends referred to her as Nana.
• Jawaharlal Nehru, the prime minister, gave Nanda an award for her performance in the Marathi movie Shevgyachyaa Shenga.
• Saira Banu mentioned in an interview that she called Nanda "baaji" since she was a Capricorn, just like her mother. Nanda Baaji had many of my mother's lovely qualities. She was modest, kind, and had a sweet voice.
• Sharmila Tagore was first offered the timeless song "Ek Pyar Ka Naghma Hai," which was filmed on Nanda. The actress declined the offer, though. Later, Nanda's name for the movie was offered by Manoj Kumar's wife. Manoj was first hesitant to agree to his wife's request to cast Nanda, but then she contacted her and made the offer. After reading the script, Nanda decided to accept the offer-but only if she wouldn't charge a single "paisa" for it. Manoj discussed it in an interview, saying, "Even though she stole the show, I regret not paying her back to date."
• Since Nanda's character in the movie "Shor" had passed away and she was only featured in a flashback, a framed photo of her from her earlier, unreleased film was used in the movie.
• For the movie "Aanchal," Nanda won her first Filmfare Award in 1960 for Best Supporting Actress. Fascinatingly, near the end of her career, she delivered some of her biggest hits.
• Lata Mangeshkar was initially brought to the film industry by her father Nanda, Master Vinayak, through the 1942 Marathi film "Pahili Mangalagaur." Later, Lata developed became Nanda's most used playback voice in her movies. Some of the most well-known songs, such as "Allah Tero Naam" from the movie "Hum Dono," "Yeh Samaa" from the movie "Jab Jab Phool Khile," and "Ek Pyar Ka Naghma Hai" from the movie "Shor," were sung by Lata and comprised Nanda.