‘Neecha Nagar’ to ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’: Yesteryear star Kamini Kaushal dies at 98

Actor Kamini Kaushal, one of Hindi cinema's earliest female stars who began her career with the classic ‘Neecha Nagar’ in 1946 and went on to act in a host of films right till 2022, has died in her Mumbai home, a close family friend said. She was 98.

Amongst the industry's highest paid actresses in the late 1940s and early 1950s, Kaushal starred opposite the triumvirate of Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor before moving on to character roles in the 1960s. Her last screen appearance was in Aamir Khan's 2022 film ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ at the age of 95, making for a remarkable 76 years in the movies.

"She died at her Mumbai home late on Thursday night. She would have turned 99 in February," Sajan Narain, a close friend of the family, told PTI.

Kaushal was born Uma Kashyap on February 24, 1927 in Lahore. Her father, Shiv Ram Kashyap, was widely regarded as the father of Indian botany and taught as a professor at the University of Punjab in pre-partition Lahore.

The youngest of two brothers and three sisters, Kaushal graduated with a degree in English literature from Government College in Lahore.

The movie career happened when family friend and filmmaker Chetan Anand approached her for his 1946 film ‘Neecha Nagar’. The movie, where she acted opposite actor Rafiq Anwar and Anand's wife Uma, won the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film at the inaugural Cannes Film Festival in 1946.

The movie is considered a classic for its portrayal of the gulf between rich and poor. It also marked the debut of the late star Zohra Sehgal and music by renowned sitarist Ravi Shankar.

It was Chetan Anand who rechristened her Kamini Kaushal to avoid confusion between the two Umas.

After the success of ‘Neecha Nagar’, Kaushal worked extensively with the triumvirate of Hindi cinema -- Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor -- in films such as ‘Jail Yatra’, ‘Do Bhai’, ‘Aag’, ‘Shaheed’, ‘Nadiya Ke Par’, ‘Ziddi’, ‘Shabnam’ and ‘Arzoo’.

She played the lead role in filmmaker Bimal Roy's acclaimed 1954 movie ‘Biraj Bahu’, which won a National Film Award and earned her a Filmfare award for best actress.

Kaushal also essayed the lead role in the movie adaptation of Premchand's famous novel ‘Godaan’.

With Manoj Kumar's 1967 hit ‘Upkar’, she transitioned to motherly parts on screen. She was just 40 at the time.

Kaushal went on to star in Kumar's other hit films such as ‘Purab Aur Paschim’, ‘Sanyasi’, ‘Shor’, ‘Roti Kapda Aur Makaan;, ‘Dus Numbari’ and ‘Santosh’, playing his mother in each of them.

Kaushal played mother to Rajesh Khanna as well in the 1974 film ‘Prem Nagar’ and in ‘Maha Chor’ in 1976.

She appeared as Aunt Shalini in ‘The Jewel in the Crown’, a popular British television serial, in 1984.

Though selective in her film choices throughout her career, Kaushal worked right till the end. In the twilight of her life, she appeared in Shah Rukh Khan starrer ‘Chennai Express’ and Shahid Kapoor's ‘Kabir Singh’.

She was 95 when she made a cameo as an elderly woman travelling in a train in ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’.

Besides movies, Kaushal also featured in several television shows, including ‘Chand Sitare’ on Doordarshan, ‘Shanno Ki Shaadi’ on StarPlus and ‘Waqt Ki Raftaar’ on DD National.

Kaushal married brother-in-law BS Sood in 1948 after her sister's death in a car accident and became an adoptive mother to two daughters. The couple had three sons -- Rahul, Vidur and Shravan.

As the news of her death came in, many people took to social media to post tributes.

"We pay tribute to the versatile and multifaceted Kamini Kaushal ji whose captivating performances have enthralled millions in a career spanning over seven decades. Condolences to the family," the official X handle of Producers Guild of India said.