For the town in France, see Nargis, Loiret; For the 2008 cyclone which devastated the Irrawaddy Delta and the city of Yangon, see Cyclone Nargis, for the flower, see Nargis (flower), for the other actress, see Nargis (actress)

Nargis Dutt (Hindi: नर्गिस; 1 June 1929 – 3 May 1981), born Fatima Rashid but known by her screen name, Nargis,^[1] was an Indian film actress. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest actresses in the history of Hindi cinema. She made her screen debut as a child in Talash-E-Haq in 1935, but her acting career began in 1942 with Tamanna. During a career that spanned from the 1940s to the 60s, Nargis appeared in numerous commercially successful as well as critically appreciated films, many of which featured her alongside actor and filmmaker Raj Kapoor.

One of her best-known roles was that of Radha in the Academy Award-nominated Mother India (1957), a performance that won her Best Actress trophy at the Filmfare Awards. In 1958, Nargis married her Mother India co-star, actor Sunil Dutt, and left the film industry. She would appear infrequently in films during the 60s. Some of her films of this period include the drama Raat Aur Din (1967), for which she got the inaugural National Film Award for Best Actress.

Along with her husband, Nargis formed the Ajanta Arts Cultural Troupe, which roped in several leading actors and singers of the time and held stage shows at border areas.^[2] In early 1970s, she became the first patron of Spastics Society of India,^[3] and her subsequent work with the organisation brought her recognition as a social worker, and later a Rajya Sabha nomination in 1980.^[4]

Nargis died in 1981 of pancreatic cancer, a few days before her son Sanjay Dutt made his film debut in Bollywood. In 1982, the Nargis Dutt Memorial Cancer Foundation was established in her memory.^[5] The award for best feature film on national integration in the annual National Film Awards ceremony is called the Nargis Dutt Award in her honour.^[6]

Early life and background[link]

Nargis was born in Calcutta. Her mother, the Allahabad-based Hindustani classical music singer and courtesan Jaddanbai.^[7] She introduced her into the movie culture unfolding in India at the time. Her father was one Uttamchand Mohanchand (popularly known as Mohanbabu), a wealthy doctor born in a Mohyal Brahmin family from Rawalpindi.^[8] Her only brother, Anwar Hussain, also became a film actor. Anwar Hussain was born to Jaddanbai and a different husband, and was raised in Muslim tradition like his mother.

Career[link]

Dev Anand and Nargis starred in Birha Ki Raat (1950)

Fatima was recruited to the cinema at an early age. She made her first film appearance in the 1935 Talashe Haq when she was six years old, credited as "Baby Nargis". Nargis, her stage name, means "Narcissus", the flower. She was subsequently credited as Nargis in all of her films.

Nargis appeared in numerous movies after her film debut; she won lasting fame for her later, adult, roles, starting with at the age of 14, in Mehboob Khan's Taqdeer in 1943 opposite, Motilal.^[4] She starred in many popular Hindi movies of the late 1940s and 1950s such as Barsaat (1949), Andaz (1949), Awaara (1951), Deedar (1951), Shree 420 (1955), and Chori Chori (1956). In most of her films she starred alongside Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar.

Her most famous role came in Mehboob Khan's Oscar-nominated rural drama Mother India in 1957. She won the Filmfare Best Actress Award for her performance. After her marriage to Sunil Dutt in 1958, Nargis gave up her film career after her last few film releases to settle down with her family. She made her last film appearance in the 1967 film Raat Aur Din for which she won a National Film Award for Best Actress, the first actress to win in this category. She also received a Filmfare Best Actress Award Nomination for this film.

In 2011, Rediff.com listed her as the greatest actress of all time, noting, "An actress with range, style, grace and an incredibly warm screen presence, Nargis is truly a leading lady to celebrate."^[9] According to M.L. Dhawan from The Tribune, "In almost all her films Nargis created a woman who could be desired and deified. The charisma of Nargis’s screen image lay in that it oscillated between the simple and the chic with equal ease."^[10]

Personal life[link]

Nargis married actor Sunil Dutt (himself a Mohyal from Jhelum, British India). Reportedly, Dutt had saved her life from a fire accident on the sets of Mother India.^[11] The couple married on 11 March 1958 and had three children together: Sanjay, Namrata, and Priya. Sanjay Dutt went on to become a very successful film actor. Namrata married actor Kumar Gaurav, son of veteran actor Rajendra Kumar who had appeared alongside both Nargis and Sunil Dutt in Mother India. Priya became a politician, and since 2005 has been a Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha).^[11]

Along with her husband, Nargis formed the Ajanta Arts Cultural Troupe, which roped in several leading actors and singers of the time, and performed at remote frontiers to entertain the Indian soldiers; it was the first troupe to perform at Dhaka, after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 and the formation of Bangladesh.^[2] Later, Nargis worked for the cause of spastic children. She became the first patron of The Spastics Society of India. Her charitable work for the organisation got her recognition as a social worker.^[2]

Death[link]

Nargis was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and underwent treatment for the disease at Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center in New York.^[11] Upon her return to India, her condition deteriorated, and she was admitted to Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai. She sank into a coma on 2 May 1981 and died on 3 May 1981.^[11] Her absence at the premiere of her son's debut film Rocky on 7 May 1981, where one seat was kept vacant for her, was a nationally famous event.^[11]

Nargis is buried at Badakabarastan in Marine Lines, Mumbai. A street in Bandra, Mumbai was renamed Nargis Dutt Road in her memory.

Awards and recognitions[link]

• 1957 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Mother India
• 1958 - She was the first film actress to conferred by the Government of India with the Padma Shri title, the fourth highest civilian award.^[4]
• 1968 - National Film Award for Best Actress for Raat Aur Din.^[4]
• 1969 - Nominated, Filmfare Best Actress Award for Raat Aur Din
• She was also nominated to the Rajya Sabha (Upper house of Indian Parliament) (1980–81),^[1][12] but fell ill and died during her tenure.^[13]
• The National Film Awards honored Dutt by instituting the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration upon her achievement in Bollywood.^[14]
• On 8 January 2001, Nargis Dutt was honoured with the "Best Artists of the Millennium" award by Hero Honda and film magazine Stardust along with actor Amitabh Bachan.^[15]

Filmography[link]

Further reading[link]

• Mr. and Mrs. Dutt: Memories of our Parents, Namrata Dutt Kumar and Priya Dutt, 2007, Roli Books. ISBN 978-81-7436-455-5.^[16]
• Darlingji: The True Love Story of Nargis and Sunil Dutt, Kishwar Desai. 2007, Harper Collins. ISBN 978-81-7223-697-7.
• The Life and Times of Nargis, T. J. S. George. 1994, Harper Collins. ISBN 978-81-7223-149-1.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Nargis at the Internet Movie Database
• Nargis Dutt Memorial Foundation

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Sanjay Dutt
Born	Sanjay Balraj Dutt (1959-07-29) 29 July 1959 (age 52) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Occupation	Film actor, film producer, comedian, politician, television presenter
Years active	1972, 1981–present
Spouse	Richa Sharma (1987–1996) (deceased) Rhea Pillai (1995–2005) (divorced)[1] Manyata Dutt (2008–present)[2]
Children	Trishala, Shahraan, Iqra
Parents	Sunil Dutt Nargis Dutt

Sanjay Dutt (born 29 July 1959) is a prominent Indian Hindi film star, producer and politician. Dutt, son of Hindi film actors Sunil Dutt and Nargis Dutt, made his acting debut in 1981. He has since featured in films that are amongst some of the most popular Hindi language films of the past three decades.

Personal life[link]

Dutt was born on 29 July 1959 to Bollywood megastars Sunil Dutt and Nargis and was educated at The Lawrence School, Sanawar.^[3] Dutt married the actress Richa Sharma in 1987.^[4] Sharma died of brain tumour. The couple have a daughter, Trishala, born in 1987, who lives in the United States with her grandparents, following a custody battle with Dutt after the death of his wife.^[5] Dutt's second marriage was to model Rhea Pillai in 1998.^[6] They divorced in 2005. Dutt married Manyata (also known as Dilnawaz Sheikh)^[7] in 2008 at a private ceremony in Goa, after two years of dating.^[8] On 21 October 2010, he became a father to twins, a boy named Shahraan and a girl named Iqra.^[9] He is well known for several altercations with the law, along with many other controversies throughout his life, as well as drug addiction in his early years.^{[citation needed]} He spent 5 months in prison in late 1982 after being caught in possession of illegal substances, upon his release he spent 2 years in the United States, the majority of which was spent in a Texan rehab clinic before returning to India and resuming his career.

Film career[link]

As a child actor, Dutt appeared in the 1972 film Reshma Aur Shera, which starred his father; he appears briefly as a qawali singer. Dutt made his Bollywood movie debut with Rocky in 1981. His mother passed away three days before the film's premiere. He went on to star in Vidhaata, the highest grossing Hindi film of 1982. In 1985 he shot for his first film in three years with Jaan ki baazi over the rest of the 1980s, Dutt appeared in successful films such as Main Awara Hoon (1983), Jeeva (1986), Mera Haque (1986), Immandaar, Inaam Dus Hazaar (1987), Jeete Hain Shaan Se (1987), Ilaaka (1989), Hum Bhi Insaan Hain (1989), Mardon Wali Baat (1988), Kanoon Apna Apna (1989), and Taaqatwar (1989).

The 1986 film Naam was Dutt's first major critical success, earning praise for his sensitive portrayal of lead character Vicky Kapoor. He also received critical acclaim for his performances in Mahesh Bhatt's Kabzaa and J. P. Dutta's 1989 Hathyar.^{[citation needed]} His successes continued in the early 1990s, with films that include Tejaa, Thanedaar, Khoon Ka Karz, Gumrah, Sahibaan and Aatish. He went on to star in some of the most era-defining Indian films of the 1990s such as Sadak, Saajan (for which he was nominated for the Filmfare Best Actor Award) and Khal Nayak, for which he earned his second Filmfare Best Actor Award nomination. Three weeks before its release, however, in April 1993, he was arrested, charged with involvement in the 1993 Mumbai bombings.

Dutt was imprisoned for most of the next four years, while films he had worked in continued to appear from time to time. Finally released on bail in late 1997, he returned to the screen in director Ram Gopal Verma's now cult film Daud, but despite the movie taking in a phenomenal opening the film crashed and was labelled a flop by critics. He then played a supporting role in the 1998 hit Dushman.

1999 was seen as Sanjay's comback year as he started the year off by starring in the Mahesh Bhatt directed hit Kartoos along with Khoobsurat, Daag: The Fire, Haseena Maan Jayegi and, most importantly, the Award winning Vaastav: The Reality, for which he won his first Filmfare Best Actor Award. His supporting role in 2000's Mission Kashmir won him critical acclaim and a number of awards and nominations, as did his subsequent performance in Kurukshetra. As the decade went on, he continued to play important roles in popular and critical successes such as Jodi No.1 (2001), Pitaah, Kaante (2002) and the National Award-winning blockbuster Munna Bhai M.B.B.S., which also garnered him several awards. Later successes came with Musafir (2004), Plan (2004), Parineeta (2005) and Dus.

The blockbuster sequel Lage Raho Munna Bhai released in late 2006, coinciding with the start of the Mumbai bombing's trial where the nation became transfixed with Dutt's court ongoings which saw him found not guilty of terrorism related acts but jailed on two occasions between 2006-2007 for short periods, as he was found guilty under the possesion of arms act despite this he continued appearing in successes like, Dhamaal (2007), Shootout at Lokhandwala (2007), and All The Best: Fun Begins (2009), Double Dhamaal (2011) and more recently Agneepath which earned him major critical acclaim once again.

In 2006 news channel NDTV named him Indian of the Year.In 2007 he received an award from the prime minister Manmohan Singh for his work in the Munna bhai series.^{[citation needed]}. In January 2008,Indian film institute Filmfare listed 14 movies featuring Dutt in its top 100 grossing movies of all time list.

Illegal possession of arms[link]

Due to terrorist interactions, and supposed weapons possession, on 19 April 1993, Sanjay was arrested under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act (TADA).^[10] He spent 16 months in jail until he was granted bail in October 1995 by the Supreme Court of India. He was later re-arrested in December 1995 and re-released in April 1997 once again on police bail terms. In 2006 the case opened for sentencing for all accused (see below). The period between 2006-2007 saw Dutt spend 7 months in Arthur Road Prison and Pune prison on three occasions for arms offences, although in 2006 Dutt was finally acquitted of any TADA-related offenses but was charged under the illegal possession of arms act.

In November 1993, a 90,000-page long primary chargesheet was filed against the 189 accused in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case including Sanjay.^[11]

In March 2006, when framing muthar charges against extradited Abu Salem and co-accused Riyaz Siddiqui in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case, the prosecution said that Salem delivered 9 AK-56 rifles and some hand grenades to Dutt at his Bandra house in the second week of January 1993.^[12]

On 13 February 2007, the special branch of Mumbai police arrested Abdul Qayyum Abdul Karim Shaikh, a close aide of Dawood Ibrahim and wanted by Mumbai Police Special Task Force for his role in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts from Mumbai.^[13] Qayuum had been named by Sanjay Dutt in his confessional statement. Sanjay had said that he met Qayuum in Dubai in September 1992 and bought a pistol from him. According to CBI, the pistol was sold to Sanjay at the instance of Dawood's brother Anees Ibrahim.^[14]

On 31 July 2007, Dutt was sentenced to six years rigorous imprisonment for illegally possessing weapons.^[15] At the same time, Dutt was also "cleared of terrorism conspiracy charges in the blasts" related to the 1993 bombings.^[15] According to The Guardian, "The actor claimed he feared for his life after the notorious "Black Friday" bombings, which were allegedly staged by Mumbai's Muslim-dominated mafia in retaliation for deadly Hindu-Muslim clashes a few months earlier. But the judge, Pramod Kode, rejected this defence and also refused bail."^[15] Dutt was immediately taken into custody and sent to Mumbai's Arthur Road Jail. As the sentence was pronounced, Dutt was "visibly shocked and was seen shivering and holding back tears".^[10]

On 2 August 2007, Sanjay Dutt was moved from Arthur Road jail in Mumbai to the Yerwada Central Jail in Pune.^[16] On 7 August 2007, Dutt appealed the sentence.^[17] On 20 August 2007, the Supreme Court of India granted Dutt interim bail. He was released after Yerwada Central Jail authorities received a copy of the court's bail order. The bail was valid until the time the special TADA court, which sentenced Dutt on 31 July, provides a copy of its judgment to him.^[18] Dutt was released from jail on 23 August.^[19] On 22 October 2007 Dutt was back in jail but again applied for bail. On 27 November 2007, Dutt was granted bail by the Supreme Court.^[20] He currently has an appeal for an acquittal pending.^[21] In January 2009, Dutt announced that he would contest the 2009 Lok Sabha elections on the Samajwadi Party ticket.^[22] However, he withdrew his candidacy in March 2009 after the Supreme Court refused to suspend his conviction, the party instead named him the General Secretary of the party. He left the post in late 2010. ^[23]

International humanitarian initiatives[link]

On 16 December 2008, he was appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador for IIMSAM — the Intergovernmental Institution for the use of Micro-algae Spirulina Against Malnutrition. He will be promoting the use of Spirulina to help the organization's advocacy and endeavor against malnutrition and hunger. His role will also support IIMSAM's efforts to secure the United Nations Millennium Development Goals by mainstreaming the use of Spirulina to eradicate malnutrition, achieve food security and bridge the health divide with a special priority for the developing and the least developed countries.^[24]

Bigg Boss[link]

The veteran actor hosted the fifth season of reality TV show, Bigg Boss on Colors.^[25]

Super Fight League[link]

Dutt and celebrity entrepreneur IPL cricket team owner Raj Kundra together launched India's first professionally organized mixed martial arts league — the Super Fight League — on 16 January 2012.^[26]

Awards and honors[link]

Filmography[link]

Actor[link]

Producer[link]

• Zinda (2006)
• Shootout at Lokhandwala (2007)
• Dus Kahaniyaan (2007)
• Rascals (2011)
• Satte Pe Satta Remake Double role (2012)

Television[link]

• Bigg Boss (season 5)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sanjay Dutt

• Sanjay Dutt at the Internet Movie Database
• Sanjay Dutt to host Bigg Boss 5!

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