It’s tragedy queen Meena Kumari’s birthday today

Meena Kumari is such a name in the history of the Hindi film industry who not only redefined acting but womanhood too. Today on her 81^stbirthday let’s recall her talent and celebrate the star’s unforgettable journey.

Born on August 1, 1932 to Ali Baksh and Iqbal Begum as Mahjabeen Bano she initially entered into the film industry just to fulfill his father’s unfulfilled dreams. At the age of 7 she got a new name, Baby Meena and appeared in her first movie in 1939 Farzand-e-Watan or Leatherface. She became the sole bread earning member in her family in the 40s. She embarked on her filmy journey during her adulthood under the name of Meena Kumari and mythological movies like Veer Ghatotkach (1949) and Shri Ganesh Mahima (1950) were her forte. As a lead heroine she shot to fame with Vijay Bhatt's Baiju Bawra in 1952 and became the first actress to win the Filmfare Best Actress Award in 1953 for her performance in Parineeta and the second award in 1954 for her feat in Baiju Bawra.

Then she went on playing a tormented woman in films like Daera (1953), Ek Hi Raasta (1956), Sharda (1957) and Dil Apna Aur Preet Parayi (1960). She shone at her best in Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam in 1962 and won another Filmfare Award in her career. Then she went on offering blockbusters like Dil Ek Mandir (1963), Kaajal (1965) and Phool Aur Patthar (1966), all of which helped her bag Filmfare nominations. She won her fourth and last Filmfare Award for her role in Kaajal. She ruined her life because of heavy drinking and fell seriously ill. Though she planned to make a comeback with Pakeezah the shooting of the film stopped midway only to be resumed after persuasion from Sunil Dutt and Nargis. Three weeks later after the release of Pakeezah, the talented actress expired on March 31, 1972 of liver cirrhosis. She died at the age of 39 and was survived by her estranged husband filmmaker Kamal Amrohi. Meena Kumari, one of the greatest actresses in the history of Hindi cinema, is not only remembered for her acting talent but also for her poetry and her strong personality. She will always remain in our hearts through her work and we pay our heartfelt tribute to this veteran actress on her birthday today.