Best remembered for her innocent charm and exotic beauty, Nanda, the renowned actress ruled the box offfice with her her many superhit films in 1960s. Some of her memorable films include Toofan Aur Diya”, “Bhabhi”, “Hum Dono”, “Teen Devian”, “Jab Jab Phool Khile”, “Dharti Kahe Pukar Ke”, “Ittefaq”, “The Train, “Shor”, “Prem Rog”, and many more.
Nanda, born Nandini Vinayak Karnataki on January 8, 1939, in Kolhapur into a show-business family. Her father, Vinayak Damodar Karnataki, also known as Master Vinayak. He was a renowned actor-producer-director and a superstar actor in the 30s & 40s. Her mother, Sushila Karnataki, was a homemaker. Nanda was the third of seven siblings.
Baby Nanda
Tragedy struck early in her life when her father passed away in 1947, leaving the family in financial distress. Nanda’s foray into acting was not by choice but by necessity. At the age of eight, she stepped into the world of cinema to support her family, which came under financial hardships after the untimely demise of her father, Master Vinayak. Nanda started her career as a child actor in “Mandir” in 1948. Some of her films as a child actor include Ek Aurat (1948), Lottery (1949), Hanste Rahena (1950), Jaggu (1951), Angaray (1954), and Jagadguru Shankaracharya (1955).).
Adult Debut
V. Shantaram, who was a cousin of her father, Master Vinayak, gave Nanda a big break by casting her in a successful brother-sister saga, “Toofan Aur Diya” (1956). She received her first Filmfare Award nomination as Best Supporting Actress for “Bhabhi” (1957). The film directed by Krishnan–Panju also starred Balraj Sahni, Om Prakash, Durga Khotem, Shyama, Nalini Chonkar, and Jagdeep.
Next, she appeared in the Barlaj Sahni, Rahman, and Mehmood starrer “Chhoti Bahen (1959).” For her natural acting she get widespread praise. She played the second lead in “Dhool Ka Phool (1959)”, directed by Yash Chopra, followed by B. R. Chopra’s “Kanoon (1960”, a film with no songs, a rare occurrence.
Nanda The Star
In 1960, she appeared in Dev Anand’s “Kala Bazar” as a second lead and later became his heroine in “Hum Dono (1961)” and “Teen Devian (1965).”
Nanda won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for Anchal (1960), which also starred Ashok Kumar & Nirupa Roy. She starred opposite Raj Kapoor in “Aashiq (1962)“, with Sunil Dutt in “Nartaki (1963)” and “Aaj Aur Kal (1963). In “Mera Qasoor Kya Hai (1964) and “Akashdeep (1965),” she paired with Dharmendra . One of her career’s most successful film was Raja Nawathe’s superhit suspense thriller “Gumnaam (1965)”, opposite Manoj Kumar. The film put her in the top league of heroines.
Perhaps her most successful film was the 1965 “Jab Jab Phool Khile” with Shashi Kapoor. In the film Nanda played a Westernised role for the first time. Her favourite song that was famously picturised on her in the film was “Yeh samaa”. Sashi Kapoor and Nanda declared each other their favourite costars. They went on to do several movies like “Mohabbat Isko Kahete Hain” (1965), Jab Jab Phool Khile (1965), “Neend Hamari Khwab Tumhare” (1966), ‘Raja Saab” (1969), and “Rootha Na Karo” (1970).
Experiments and Critical Acclaim
She was paired with Jeetendra in “Parivar (1967)” and “Dharti Kahe Pukar Ke (1969).” She did Abhilasha (1968), which also had Meena Kumari, and Beti (1969) with Sanjay Khan.
In the songless suspense thriller “Ittefaq (1969),” she paired with Rajesh Khanna. For her performance in the film she received her first and only nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. She has done two more films with Khanna, a thriller, “The Train (1970),” and a comedy, “Joroo Ka Ghulam (1972).”
Perhaps her last memorable role was in Shor (1972) against Manoj Kumar. It was a special appearance, she also featured in the first part of the song “Ik pyar ka Naghma hai.”
Hiatus and Character Roles
Her subsequent films, like “Chhalia” (1973) and “Naya Nasha” (1974), did not do well, and she took a sabbatical from acting. She made a comeback after a few years in “Ahista Ahista” (1981), Raj Kapoor’s “Prem Rog” (1982), and “Mazdoor” (1983), receiving two nominations for the Filmfare Awards for Best Supporting Actress for the first two films.
After Mazdoor (1983), where she paired with Dilip Kumar, she retired permanently. After retirement, she remains in close contact with her friends Waheeda Rahman, Helen, Sadhna, and others. She was also close to Saira Banu. Iit was said that at the time of her demise, she was wearing a dress gifted by Saira Ji.
Personal life
Despite many proposals throughout the years, Nanda never married. Later in life, after much persuasion from Waheeda Rahman, she agreed to give matrimony a chance. In 1992, Nanda got engaged to director Manmohan Desai, both were middle-aged by then, but destiny had some other plans for her, and Manmohan Desai died after falling from the terrace of his flat.
Nanda died in Mumbai on 25 March 2014 at her Versova residence, aged 75, following a heart attack. a heart attack.
Nanda on IMDB
