Mumbai: Kamini Kaushal, who created a special place for Hindi cinema from its inception to later decades with her calm confidence and measured acting, has passed away at the age of 98. For a long time, she faced the problems of old age, but her inner spirit never stopped.
What was the reaction of Big B to Ritesh Deshmukh?
As soon as the news of her departure came in Mumbai, social media was filled with memories. Big B called her an example of dignity, and Ritesh Deshmukh described her as “the light that showed the way without making any noise.” Her departure is the same moment when people want to live those film days again by taking out old cassettes or VHS.
How did a girl from Lahore become India's first Palme d'Or winner?
The story starts in Lahore in 1927. Real name Uma Shabnam, but Kamini Kaushal on screen. The character she played in Chetan Anand's film Neecha Nagar in 1946 not only won him India's first Palme d'Or, but also showed the world that Indian cinema is not just entertainment; it is also a reality. The pain in her simplicity became the voice of the broken society of that time.
How did she become an example of identity and simplicity for more than 90 films?
Kamini worked in more than 90 films in nearly nine decades and left something new in every film. In Shaheed, Manoj Kumar's determined wife, the simple village girl across the river, the biraj daughter-in-law, Arju, two brothers, the stubborn one, Godan - there was a strange spontaneity in every character, which was not found in anyone else. She was a star, but not a glittering star—her power was in her silence.
Did she show the same affection on TV as she did on screen?
When she appeared in Doordarshan's Chand Sitara as the elderly guide of the family, it was as if one of the grandmothers of the house had made a place on TV. There was such a peace in her voice and presence that the audience felt connected to her.
Was she really Dharmendra's first on-screen heroine?
Dharmendra had once shared an old black-and-white picture—of him and Kamini's first meeting. The caption was something like this, “First meeting with Kamini ji, the heroine of the first film Shaheed… Smiles on the faces of both.” This picture is not just a memory of two artists but a document of the innocence of that period.
How did she redefine life by staying away from the camera?
In the seventies, producer B.S. After marrying Sood, she gradually left the screen and chose to spend time with her family. Her sons—Shravan, Vidur and Rahul—always stayed away from the limelight, just as Kamini ji wanted. Although she stayed away from the screen, she kept silently giving advice to the new artists coming into the industry, like an elder in a family.
Doesn't her departure draw us back to the old reels?
Amitabh Bachchan wrote, “Kamini ji taught us dignity – on screen as well as in life.” Riteish Deshmukh called him a silent light to guide the way. Her departure is not just the departure of an artist, but the closure of an era when acting was not done through voice but through eyes and silence. Kamini ji is gone, but her smile still shines in every old frame.
