Bollywood icon Nanda: A star-ridden life with an underlying darkness of grief

Mumbai, March 25 —

Nanda is the actress from Bollywood loved the most; such was her charm and simplicity that went with the silver screen. Far away from all glamour lay a life ever shadowed by her silent grief for the man she had never been wed to. She starred in over 70 Hindi films; privately, her life was spent in quiet sorrow and infinite love for the man she never married.

Born as Nandini Karnataki from a film family on January 8, 1939, Nanda was familiar with cinema. Vinayak Damodar Karnataki, her father, was a well-known actor and director. But when he died suddenly, seven-year-old Nanda entered the film to lend support to her family. Her career began as a child artist in Mandir (1948), which naturally led to an illustrious career to follow.

In 1956, a significant development occurred when great uncle V. Shantaram cast her in Toofan Aur Diya, a film with a heartfelt story that paved the way for her parents to have the first showcase a promising lead actress. Then followed a golden era, each movie that carved out her position in Hindi cinema, including Bhabhi (1957), Chhoti Bahen (1959), Kanoon (1960), Hum Dono (1961), Jab Jab Phool Khile (1965), Ittefaq (1969), and Prem Rog (1982). Nanda was known for portraying characters who were much stronger than themselves and very tender, and she won countless hearts along the way and several nominations by way of Filmfare.

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Her on-screen association with Shashi Kapoor in Jab Jab Phool Khile remains a public favourite, and camaraderie with contemporaries from those times, like Manoj Kumar, with whom she starred in Shor (1972), gave more credence to her legacy. Nanda was one of the most sought-after actresses in Indian film at the height of her career.

But it was the tragic twists of destiny that took the centre stage away from her.

In the early 1990s, Nanda fell in love with Manmohan Desai, a director known for his blockbusters and larger-than-life storytelling. Nanda had received a proposal from Manmohan Desai, who had been widowed since 1979. After years of friendship, she accepted his proposal, being encouraged to do so by her close friend Waheeda Rehman.

But their story ended before it started. In 1992, Desai passed away in an unfortunate accident, falling from his balcony. The loss was devastating. Heartbroken, Nanda withdrew into solitude and never married. It is said she would not wear coloured clothes and would pass the rest of her life quietly, keeping the memory of Desai.

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She breathed her last in Mumbai on March 25, 2014, when she was 75. Family, friends, and colleagues of the film industry who remembered her for her dignity and warmth in addition to her skill as a professional attended her funeral. .