One of the most talented actors the Indian screen has ever had was Nargis. With her work, on and off-screen, ‘Mother India’ actress has locked her place in the annals of Indian history and in the hearts and minds of millions of Indians. Many would have known her as a woman of substance for the never back down attitude, being a rebel, and yet balancing the societal norms of motherhood and work life. And now, on the death anniversary of the actress, her daughter Namrata told an anecdote from their life. Namrata spoke about how Nargis would wear a burqa when she went to watch movies but later took it off. Namrata said in an interview, "As a person, she was full of laughter and joy. She had no qualms about having pani puri (snack) from the roadside stall. She’d go to watch films wearing a burqa and later fling it off saying, 'Garmi lag rahi hai (I'm feeling hot)!'
Her closest friends were not from the industry. They were working women in Delhi. She would insist we stay with them when we visited Delhi. I wanted to stay in a hotel because of the air-conditioning facilities. But mom wanted us to adjust to every situation."Namrata recalled an incident, saying, "One day her friend said, 'Fatty (Nargis’ original name was Fatema Rashid) let’s go shopping'. Palika Bazaar at Connaught Place had just been launched. While doing the rounds of the shopping centre, one of her friends got lost. She went to every shopkeeper asking, 'Nargis ko kahin dekha (Did you see Nargis anywhere)?' Soon, the buzz went around that Nargis was around. Crowds started gathering. Before a stampede could ensue, we all huddled in a car and zipped away."
ALSO READ: Sanjay Dutt on Nargis' death anniversary: Not a day goes by when I don't miss you Ma!
Speaking of the late actress, Nargis began her acting career with Tamanna (1942) and went on to feature in Barsaat (1949), Shree 420 (1955), Mother India (1957), Adalat and Lajwanti (1958), and Raat Aur Din (1967) among many others films. She married Sunil Dutt in 1958 and had three children Sanjay Dutt, Priya Dutt, and Namrata. Also, on the 41st death anniversary of veteran actor Nargi, her son Sanjay Dutt shared a beautiful post with a heartwarming caption. Take a look: