Waheeda Rehman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Waheeda Rehman
Rehman at an event in 2019
Born	(1938-02-03) 3 February 1938 (age 87) Chengalpet, Madras Presidency, British India (present-day Tamil Nadu, India)
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1955–present
Works	Full list
Spouse(s)	Shashi Rekhi ​ ​ (m. 1974; died 2000)​
Children	2
Signature

Waheeda Rehman (born 3 February 1938) is a famous Indian actress. She is known as one of the best actresses in Hindi cinema (Bollywood). She has acted in over 90 movies during her career, which has lasted more than fifty years!

Waheeda has won many awards, including a National Film Award and three Filmfare Awards. The Indian government has also honored her with the Padma Shri in 1972 and the Padma Bhushan in 2011. In 2023, she received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, which is India's highest award for movies.

She started her acting journey with the Telugu film Rojulu Marayi (1955). She became very popular after working with the Hindi filmmaker Guru Dutt. Some of their famous movies include Pyaasa (1957) and Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959). Waheeda received great praise for her role in the romantic drama Guide (1965). For this movie, she won her first Filmfare Award for Best Actress. She won this award again for Neel Kamal (1968).

Since the 1970s, Waheeda Rehman has mostly played supporting roles. She appeared in popular films like Kabhie Kabhie (1976) and Chandni (1989). In 1994, she received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award. She has continued to act from time to time, appearing in films like Water (2005) and Rang De Basanti (2006).

Besides acting, Waheeda Rehman also cares about helping others. She supports education and works as an ambassador for RangDe, an organization that helps fight poverty in India.

Her Early Life and Dreams

Waheeda Rehman was born on February 3, 1938, in Chengalpet, which is in Tamil Nadu, India. She grew up in a Deccani Muslim family. Many people mistakenly think she was born in Hyderabad. Her parents were Mohammed Abdur Rehman and Mumtaz Begum. She was the youngest of four daughters.

When she was a child, Waheeda and her sisters learned Bharatanatyam, a classical Indian dance, in Chennai. Her father worked as a district commissioner. When he was posted in Visakhapatnam, she studied at St. Joseph's Convent there. Sadly, her father passed away in 1951 when she was still a teenager.

Waheeda's biggest dream was to become a doctor. However, her family faced tough times, both emotionally and financially. Her mother also became ill. Because of these challenges, she had to give up her dream. To help her family, she started accepting movie offers, thanks to her amazing dancing skills.

Her Acting Journey Begins

First Steps in Film

Waheeda Rehman first appeared in the Tamil film Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum as a dancer. But the Telugu film Rojulu Marayi (1955) was released earlier, where she also performed a dance. In the same year, she played the main role in Jayasimha alongside N. T. Rama Rao.

Her small role in Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum came out in 1956. This movie was based on the famous story Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. It was also the first Tamil film to be made in color! In the mid-1950s, she started working often with actor Dev Anand. They made several successful films together, including Solva Saal (1958). Critics praised her performance in Solva Saal, noting her talent even at a young age.

Working with Guru Dutt

Waheeda in Pyaasa (1957)

Waheeda's performances caught the eye of the famous Hindi filmmaker Guru Dutt. She looked up to him as her teacher and guide. Dutt brought her to Mumbai (then called Bombay) and cast her in the crime thriller C.I.D. (1956). At that time, many actresses used stage names. But Waheeda refused and kept her birth name.

Guru Dutt then gave her her first main role in a Hindi film, the drama Pyaasa (1957). This movie was a big hit and is still considered one of the greatest films ever made. She continued to work with Dutt on other successful movies. These include the mystery film 12 O'Clock (1958), the romantic drama Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), and Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960). All these films earned her great reviews.

Waheeda and Dutt's last movie together was the romantic drama Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962). In this film, she played a supporting role. The movie was a huge success and was loved by critics in India and around the world. For her role, Waheeda received her first Filmfare nomination for Best Supporting Actress. The film itself was nominated for a big award at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Becoming a Big Star

After her work with Guru Dutt, Waheeda also acted in a Bengali film called Abhijan (1962) by the famous director Satyajit Ray. She then played different kinds of roles. She was a murder suspect in Baat Ek Raat Ki (1962) and a woman caught in a family fight in Rakhi (1962).

She acted opposite many well-known actors of Hindi Cinema. These included Sunil Dutt in Mujhe Jeene Do (1962) and Biswajit in the horror film Kohraa (1964). One of her films, Bees Saal Baad (1962), became the highest-grossing Hindi film of 1962. By the end of 1964, Waheeda Rehman was one of the highest-paid actresses in Hindi films.

Guide (1965): A Landmark Film

Vijay Anand's amazing film, the romantic drama Guide (1965), was based on a book by R. K. Narayan. Waheeda Rehman played Rosie, a strong and rebellious woman. Rosie leaves her unhappy marriage and starts a new life as a dancer. Waheeda said this role was challenging because it was very different from typical film characters at that time.

Guide was a huge hit and one of the top-grossing Hindi films of 1965. Critics loved it, and Waheeda's performance received praise from everyone. Many people still consider her role as Rosie one of the greatest in Indian cinema. For this role, Waheeda won her first Filmfare Award for Best Actress. Guide also won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film. It was even chosen as India's official entry to the Oscars. Today, Guide is seen as a classic film and is Waheeda Rehman's most famous movie.

Continued Success in the 1960s

Waheeda's career continued to shine as she worked with other big stars like Dilip Kumar, Rajendra Kumar, and Rajesh Khanna. Some of her most popular films from the late 1960s include Teesri Kasam (1966), Ram Aur Shyam (1967), Neel Kamal (1968), and Khamoshi (1969).

She won her second Filmfare Award for Neel Kamal. In Khamoshi, she played a nurse who falls in love with a patient and then faces mental health struggles herself. Other successful films from this time were Patthar Ke Sanam (1967) and Aadmi (1968). By the end of the 1960s, Waheeda Rehman was the second-highest paid actress in Hindi films.

Reshma Aur Shera (1971)

For her leading role in the film Reshma Aur Shera (1971), Waheeda Rehman won the National Film Award for Best Actress. This is a very important award in India, similar to the Academy Award for Best Actress. Reshma Aur Shera was also nominated for an award at the Berlin International Film Festival. Even though the film didn't do well at the box office, her performance was highly recognized.

Later Roles and Special Appearances

In the 1970s, Waheeda Rehman started trying different kinds of roles. She played a mother to Jaya Bhaduri in Phagun (1973). In this new phase of her career, she appeared in successful films like Kabhi Kabhie (1976), Trishul (1978), Namkeen (1982), Namak Halaal (1982), Chandni (1989), and Lamhe (1991). For some of these films, she received nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress.

After her role in Lamhe, she took a break from the film industry. She was supposed to play the mother of Amitabh Bachchan in the film Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001). However, she had to leave the film after shooting some scenes because her husband passed away in November 2000.

In recent years, she has played motherly roles in films like Om Jai Jagadish (2002), Water (2005), Rang De Basanti (2006), and Delhi 6 (2009). All these roles earned her good reviews from critics.

In 2011, the Government of India honored her with the Padma Bhushan. In 2013, she received the Cenetary Award for Indian Film Personality for her great contributions to Indian Cinema. A book about her life, called Conversations With Waheeda Rehman, was published in 2014. It includes interviews with her by author and director Nasreen Munni Kabir.

Her Personal Life

In April 1974, Waheeda Rehman married Shashi Rekhi, who was also known by his screen name Kamaljeet. They had worked together in the film Shagoon (1964). They had two children. After her marriage, they lived on a farm in Bangalore. But after Rekhi's death on November 21, 2000, Waheeda moved back to Bandra, Mumbai, where she lives now.

Waheeda is a very private person. She rarely talks about her personal life. She believes that her private life should stay private and is not for everyone to know.

Her Impact and Legacy

Rehman (second from left) with Nanda, Helen and Sadhana in 2010

Waheeda Rehman is seen as one of the greatest actors in Indian cinema. Many lists have included her among "Bollywood's Best Actresses of all time." She was one of the highest-paid actresses from the mid-1960s to the early 1970s.

Rediff.com ranked her as the fifth-greatest actress of all time, after Nargis, Smita Patil, Nutan, and Meena Kumari. NDTV also placed her among "The Most Popular Actress of All Time." Her performance in Guide is considered one of Bollywood's "80 Iconic Performances."

Critics often describe her as having a "refreshingly natural style of acting." They say her simple beauty and acting talent made her stand out. Her work with Guru Dutt is especially famous, but many believe her acting skills shine even brighter in her other films.

Filmography

Awards and Honours

President Murmu presenting the Dadasaheb Phalke Award to Rehman at the 69th National Film Awards

Special Honours

• Padma Shri in 1972.
• Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994.
• IIFA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001.
• NTR National Award in 2006.
• Padma Bhushan in 2011.
• Rashtriya Kishore Kumar Samman from the Government of Madhya Pradesh in 2020.
• Dadasaheb Phalke Award: India's highest award for movie excellence for the year 2021, given in 2023 at the 69th National Film Awards.

See also

In Spanish: Waheeda Rehman para niños