Dilip Kumar believed her “the finest actress of her generation.” Nalini Jaywant was a celebrated actress known for her remarkable acting capabilities and otherworldly beauty. In a career spanning over two decades, Nalini captivated audiences with films like Behen, Anokha Pyar, Samadhi, Sangram, Shikast, Rahi, Railway Platform, Munimji, Kala Pani, and many more.
Early Life
Nalini Jaywant was born on February 18, 1926, in Bombay. From a young age, Nalini exhibited a keen interest in performing arts. At the age of six, she performed songs on All India Radio Mumbai station’s Bal Sabha program, and by the age of ten, she was acting in school plays. She learnt Kathak from Mohan Kalyanpur and took music lessons from Heerabai Zaveri.
Her popularity soared when she played the lead role in Rabindranath Tagore’s play “Shrimatiji.” Her maternal aunt was the renowned Marathi singer and actress Rattan Bai, which makes her the cousin of Shobhna Samarth and the aunt of Nutan and Tanuja. Despite being related to a film family, her father, Dadasaheb Jayawant, was not in favour of her working in films. He was not even happy with Shobhn Samarth’s acting career.
Nalini in Films
Nalini goes against her father and signs V.C. Desai’s Radhika (1941), which also starred Kanhaiyalal and Harish. Nalini Jaywant’s breakthrough came with Mehboob Khan’s “Bahen” (1941), a film about a brother’s obsessive love for his sister. In the film she also sang a few songs such as Aayi Jawani Jiya Lehraye, Hawa Basant Ki Dol Rahi Hai, Mohe Le Chal Apni Nagariya, and Nahin Khaate Hain Bhaiya Mere Paan. Her performance in the film garnered attention, and she gets many films like Nirdosh (1941), Adab Arz (1943), and Gunjan (1948), directed by her husband, Virendra Desai (V.C. Desai).
She also sang for films like Nirdosh, Radhika, Ankh Michowli, Adab Arz, Gunjan, Chakori, Hindustan Hamara, Muqaddar, and Chingari. She also acted in a few more films like Ankh Michowli (1942), Phir Bhi Apna Hai (1946), Chakori (1949), and many more.
Nalini Jaywant The Star
Her first big success came with finding success in Anokha Pyar (1948) with Dilip Kumar and Nargis, but her breakthrough came in 1950 with the patriotic drama “Samadhi (1950),” based on the struggles of Subhas Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army, featuring Nalini opposite Ashok Kumar. Her performance as Lilly, a spy for the British, was widely appreciated. The film’s success at the box office further solidified her reputation as a talented actress.
Nalini and Ashok Kumar further collaborated on films such as Sangram (1950), Jalpari (1952), Kafila (1952), Nau Bahar (1952), Saloni (1952), Lakeeren (1954), Naaz (1954), Mr. X (1957), Sheroo (1957), and Toofan Mein Pyar Kahan (1963).
In 1953, Nalini gave two absolutely stunning performances, in the Dev Anand starrer Rahee and in the Dilip Kumar film Shikast. In K.A. Abbas’s Rahee, Nalini played an upright tea plantation worker who reformed the hero, Dev Anand. Her posthumous Ek pal ruk jaana refrain haunts long after the film is over. In Shikast, Nalini vividly etched out the pain and passion, the helplessness, and the desire to hurt in her ill-fated relationship with her village love, Dilip Kumar.
Nalini Jaywant’s extensive filmography includes a wide range of roles in various genres. Some of her other notable films include Ankhen (1950), Hindustan Hamara (1950), Ek Nazar (1951), Naujawan (1951), Naubahar (1952), and Rahi (1953), Nastik (1954), Baap Beti (1954), Railway Platform (1955), Munimji (1955), Hum Sab Chor Hain (1956), Insaaf (1956), and Kitna Badal Gaya Insan (1957).
Later Career
The 1958 film Kala Pani, directed by Raj Khosla, was Jaywant’s last successful movie, for which she won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. The famous songs “Nazar Lagi Raja Torey Bangley Per,” “Dil Lagake Kadar Gayi Pyaarey,” and “Jab Naam-E-Mohabbat Le Ke Kisi Ne Daaman Phailaya” were picturised on her.
She then acted in films like Milan (1958), Maa Ke Aansoo (1959), Mukti (1960), Amar Rahe Yeh Pyar (1961), Senapati (1961), Zindagi Aur Hum (1962), and Girls’ Hostel (1962).
Having played the heroine for two decades and with a paucity of good roles, Nalini retired soon thereafter. Her last film before her retirement was Bombay Race Course (1965).
Almost 20 years later, Nalini sprang a surprise when she agreed to play her only two character roles, that of Hema Malini’s mother in Bandish (1980) and Amitabh Bachchan’s blind, long-suffering mother in Nastik (1983).
Personal Life
Nalini Jaywant married director Virendra Desai, who passed away in 1946 at the age of 32. After many years, she met actor Prabhu Dayal while filming Munim Ji and went on to act in several movies with him. Their partnership extended beyond their professional collaboration. The couple married in 1961. Despite her success, Nalini led a relatively reclusive life after her retirement from films in the mid-1960s.
She lived in a quiet neighbourhood in Union Park, Chembur, near R.K. Studios, where her neighbours included her co-stars Ashok Kumar, Om Prakash, and Trilok Kapoor. People often saw her at the Chembur Railway Station area with her FIAT car for the purchase of green vegetables.
The End
Already a very private person, she further went into seclusion after the death of her husband in 2001. It was her nephew (her brother’s son), who lived nearby and used to look after her needs. On December 20, 2010 (some media reports document her death on 22 and 24 December), Nalini Jaywant died alone in her bungalow. Her last rites were performed by her nephew.
There were many reports about her being dead for three days. The media also said that a municipal ambulance carried away the body, which was proved to be false. It was true that she lived alone and was ill for some time. She was also very private and didn’t mingle with anyone. Nalini doesnot allowed anyone in her home except her support staff. The story of her death being unnoticed for three days seems farfetched. Nalini had support staff and a maid in her bungalow, which her neighbours later mentioned.
The stories of her misery and rotten corpse were media masala, added for a sensational reading. According to reports, her nephew took away her body, and when the media reached her home, they found a locked gate. The neighbour also doesn’t know about what happened; just some speculations about some relative taking the body; that too they got to know from their servants.
Nalini Jaywant on IMDB
