She
was
called
the
Chinese
doll!
With
her
droop
of
curl
dropping
on
her
face,
combined
with
an
anguish-laden
voice,
Meena
Kumari
was
the
epitome
of
uncontrollable
tragedy.
This
unblemished
beauty
made
Meena
Kumari
the
ultimate
tragedy
queen
in
Indian
Cinema.
All
her
life,
Meena
Kumari
carried
an
image
of
a
sorrowful
lonely
woman
whose
desires
remained
suppressed
by
the
cruel
world.
Meena
Kumari
aka
Mehajabeen
Bano
starred
in
more
than
ninety
films
in
a
30
year
span
from
her
childhood
to
her
death.
If
you
think
you
don't
know
enough
of
this
beautiful
talented
actress,
listed
below
are
few
unknown
facts
about
Meena
Kumari.
1)
Meena
Kumari's
father
Ali
Baksh
left
her
at
a
Muslim
orphanage
since
they
were
unable
to
pay
the
fees
of
Dr
Gadre,
who
had
delivered
her.
However,
he
picked
her
up
after
a
few
hours.
2)
Meena
Kumari
almost
drowned
while
shooting
for
Baiju
Bawara.
3)
Pakeezah
took
14
long
years
to
complete.
It's
said
that
since
Meena
Kumari
could
not
do
the
dance
numbers
because
of
her
age,
Director
Kamal
Amrohi
brought
in
Padma
Khanna
who
danced
to
the
number.
Her
face
was
covered
with
Ghunghat
throughout.
4)
Meena
Kumari's
mother
was
a
Hindu
and
her
original
name
was
Prabhavati
Devi.
After
marriage,
she
converted
from
Hinduism
to
Islam,
and
changed
her
name
to
Iqbal
Begum.
5)
Though
Mahjabeen
wanted
to
study,
the
financial
status
of
her
family
compelled
her
to
act
in
Hindi
movies
as
a
child
artiste.
She
was
the
bread
winner
of
her
family.
Click
on
the
slider
below
to
view
rare
and
unseen
pictures
of
Meena
Kumari.
Meena
Kumari
Meena
Kumari
is
the
only
heroine
to
have
all
the
nominations
in
the
Filmfare
awards.
Meena
Kumari
Meena
Kumari
gained
fame
with
her
role
as
a
heroine
in
Vijay
Bhatt's
Baiju
Bawra
(1952).
She
became
the
first
actress
to
win
the
Filmfare
Best
Actress
Award
in
1953
for
this
performance.
Meena
Kumari
Mehmood
married
Meena
Kumari's
sister.
Mehmood
taught
table
tennis
to
Meena
Kumari.
Meena
Kumari
Meena
Kumari's
best
role
was
in
Sahib
Bibi
Aur
Ghulam
(1962),
produced
by
Guru
Dutt.
Meena
Kumari
played
Chhoti
Bahu,
an
alcoholic
wife.
Meena
Kumari
Meena
Kumari
became
Film
Director
Kamal
Amrohi's
second
wife.
Her
personal
life
also
depicted
the
same
tragedy
as
her
films.
Meena
Kumari
In
Pakeezah
Pakeezah,
starring
Meena
Kumari
and
directed
by
her
ex-husband
Kamal
Amrohi,
took
14
years
to
complete.
The
shooting
stopped
after
their
separation
in
March
1964,
when
it
was
more
than
halfway
complete.
It
was
Sunil
Dutt
and
Nargis
in
1969
who
convinced
the
estranged
Amrohi
and
Kumari
to
complete
it.
Meena
Kumari
Meena
Kumari's
heavy
drinking
had
badly
damaged
her
liver,
and
in
1968
she
fell
seriously
ill.
Meena
Kumari
After
Meena
Kumari
returned
from
London
after
undergoing
treatment
for
illness,
she
began
settling
her
debts
and
also
made
peace
with
her
sister,
Madhu,
whom
she
had
not
spoken
to
for
two
years.
Meena
Kumari
Because
of
her
heavy
drinking,
Meena
Kumari
lost
her
good
looks.
In
later
years,
she
began
playing
character
roles
in
movies
like
Jawab
(1970)
and
Dushman
(1972).
Meena
Kumari
In
Pakeezah
Pakeezah
opened
to
a
lukewarm
response
at
the
Box
Office.
However,
after
Meena
Kumari's
death,
people
flocked
to
see
it,
making
it
a
major
Box-Office
success.