For other people named Meena Kumari, see Meena Kumari (disambiguation).
Meena Kumari
Kumari, c. 1957
Born
Mahjabeen Bano
(1933-08-01)1 August 1933
Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India
Died
31 March 1972(1972-03-31) (aged 38)
Bombay, Maharashtra, India
Burial place
Rahmatabad cemetery, Mumbai
Other names
Tragedy Queen
Occupations
Actress
poet
singer
costume designer
Years active
1939–1972
Works
Full list
Spouse
Kamal Amrohi
(m. 1952; sep. 1964)
Relatives
See Ali-Amrohi family
Awards
See List
Musical career
Genres
Filmi, Ghazals
Writing career
Pen name
Naaz
Meena Kumari's voice
A 30-second sample of "Tanha Chand", from I Write, I Recite, 1971.
Musical artist
Signature
Meena Kumari[1] (born Mahjabeen Bano; 1 August 1933[2] – 31 March 1972) was an Indian actress and poet, who worked in Hindi films. Popularly known as The Tragedy Queen,[3] she is regarded among the finest and greatest actresses in the history of Indian cinema.[4] In a career spanning 33 years, from child actress to adult, Kumari starred in over 90 films.[5]
Kumari won four Filmfare Awards in the Best Actress category. She was the recipient of the inaugural Filmfare Best Actress Award for Baiju Bawra in 1954 and had a consecutive win in the second Filmfare Awards (1955) for Parineeta. Kumari made history at the 10th Filmfare Awards (1963) by receiving all three of the Best Actress nominations, and won for her performance in Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam.[6] In the 13th Filmfare Awards (1966), she won her last Best Actress award for Kaajal. Critics have noted that her character in Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam is similar to her life. She also went onto appear in other successful films such as - Do Bigha Zamin (1953), Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai (1960), Aarti (1962), Main Chup Rahungi (1962), Dil Ek Mandir (1963), Phool Aur Patthar (1966) and Mere Apne (1971).
By late 1960s, Kumari got addicted to alcohol, the effect of which was visible in her subsequent films. Kumari was also a poet and a playback singer. She sang in some of her early films as a child artist and to her poems which came out in an album, I Write, I Recite (1971). She also designed the costumes in Pakeezah. On 31 March 1972, Kumari died at the age of 38, from cirrhosis of the liver, which has been associated with her alcoholism.[7]
^"Homage — Meena Kumari". Journal of Indian Cinema. 31 July 2020. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
^Adrian Room (26 July 2010). "Meena Kumari". Dictionary of Pseudonyms: 13,000 Assumed Names and Their Origins. McFarland. p. 269. ISBN 978-0-7864-4373-4. Archived from the original on 12 October 2020. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
^"Meena Kumari birth anniverary [sic]: She is inspiration for all!". Free Press Journal. Archived from the original on 3 October 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
^"Meena Kumari - Upperstall.com". upperstall.com. Archived from the original on 11 November 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
^"Meena Kumari – Interview (1952)". Cineplot.com. 19 July 2017. Archived from the original on 16 July 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
^"Filmfare Awards (1963)". IMDb. Archived from the original on 1 January 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
^Mohamed, Khalid (25 March 2016). "Remembering the Tragedy Queen Meena Kumari". Khaleej Times. Archived from the original on 18 October 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
MeenaKumari (born Mahjabeen Bano; 1 August 1933 – 31 March 1972) was an Indian actress and poet, who worked in Hindi films. Popularly known as The Tragedy...
MeenaKumari (1 August 1933 — 31 March 1972) was an Indian actress, playback singer, poet and costume designer who predominantly worked in Indian cinema...
remained his senior wife throughout his marriage to MeenaKumari, and died on 9 April 1982. He met MeenaKumari during the filming of Tamasha. Veteran actor...
drama written, directed, and produced by Kamal Amrohi. The film stars MeenaKumari as the eponymous lead, alongside Ashok Kumar and Raaj Kumar. It tells...
Mahjabeen, then six years, who went on to become the famous actress, MeenaKumari. The story writers were Batuk Bhatt and Sampatlal Srivastava. The music...
Vinod Khanna as Hero. This was also debut movie of Danny. The film stars MeenaKumari, Vinod Khanna and Shatrughan Sinha in lead roles along with Deven Verma...
was written and directed by Kishore Sahu. The film stars Raaj Kumar, MeenaKumari and Nadira as leads. The film tells the story of a surgeon who is obligated...
(transl. Speculative market) is a 1959 Indian Hindi-language film starring MeenaKumari and Balraj Sahni in lead roles. The music of the film was composed by...
awards: Individuals with three or more BA nominations: Consecutive wins: MeenaKumari (1954–55), Jaya Bachchan (1974–75), Shabana Azmi (1984–85), Rani Mukerji...
him the award. As a child actor, he first appeared in the Dharmendra-MeenaKumari starrer Majhli Didi, directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, and also appeared...
Sridhar and written by Raj Baldev Raj. The film stars Rajendra Kumar, MeenaKumari, Raaj Kumar and Mehmood. The film's music is by Shankar Jaikishan. All...
Abrar Alvi and produced by Guru Dutt, who also co-stars in it alongside MeenaKumari, Rehman, and Waheeda Rehman. The film, which is based on Bimal Mitra's...
and written by Ralhan with Akhtar ul Iman and Ahsan Rizvi. It starred MeenaKumari and Dharmendra as contrasting characters who come together; he played...
Tak in his directorial debut. The film stars MeenaKumari and Mumtaz. It was the last release of MeenaKumari, and was released posthumously on 22 November...
International Film Festival. In preparation, she studied the work of actress MeenaKumari, and watched films about prostitution such as Mandi (1983) and Memoirs...
by Pannalal Maheshwari and directed by Ram Maheshwari. The film stars MeenaKumari, Raaj Kumar, Dharmendra, Padmini, Mumtaz, Mehmood, Durga Khote, Helen...
MeenaKumari, Honey Irani and Madan Puri in pivotal roles. The film was remade in Telugu as Maa Babu. Before giving birth to her child, Ratna (Meena Kumari)...
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