Waheeda Rehman is an Indian actress who has appeared in films such as ‘Pyaasa’ and ‘Kaagaz Ke Phool.’ She is a versatile actress who has appeared in Hindi films as well as regional films in Tamil, Bengali, and Telugu. She has appeared in a wide range of films over the course of her long and famous career, including comedies, romances, dramas, and tragedies. She was born in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, and her father died when she was a small child. She was a bright and attractive young woman who intended to become a doctor, but the unexpected loss of her father and the illness of her mother compelled her to stop her studies in order to find work. She began her acting career in the Telugu cinema business, where she was naturally bestowed with good looks and talents. It didn’t take her long to establish herself as a highly sought-after Telugu talent. She eventually transitioned into Hindi films, making her debut in the critically acclaimed ‘CID.’ Other hits followed, and she was soon regarded as one of the era’s most successful actors. She began portraying character roles as she grew older, and more lately, she has taken on the roles of an elderly mother and grandmother.
Childhood and Adolescence
Waheeda Rehman was born on February 3, 1938, into a Muslim household in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. Her father was a commissioner for the district. She was a gifted young woman who studied Bharatnatyam with her sister from some of the dance form’s most illustrious teachers. On stage, the sisters also performed together. When her father died in 1948, her family suffered a tragedy. Her mother, too, began to suffer from illness and died in 1955. Her familial circumstances caused her to stop her studies, despite her early ambition to be a doctor.
Her acting career began in Indian regional cinema, with roles in Telugu films such as ‘Jayasimha’ (1955), ‘Rojulu Marayi’ (1956), and Tamil films such as ‘Kaalam Maari Pochu’ (1955). The lovely young lady was seen by Hindi film director Guru Dutt during the ‘Rojulu Marayi’ triumph party. He mentored her and took her under his wing.
She relocated to Bombay (now Mumbai) and was cast as a vamp in Raj Khosla’s production of Dutt’s ‘CID’ (1956).
She made her Hindi film debut as Kamini, a mysterious woman who is considered one of her most enticing roles.
‘CID’ was a success, and Dutt was so taken with her performance that he hired her in the lead part in ‘Pyaasa’ in 1957. They went on to work together in subsequent films such as ‘Kaagaz Ke Phool’ (1959) and ‘Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam’ (1962), but their relationship deteriorated over time and they drifted apart. Dutt died in 1964 from an excess of sleeping medications and alcohol, according to reports.
Waheeda Rehman and Dev Anand, her co-star in her Hindi film debut, had a very successful on-screen partnership. ‘Kala Bazar’ (1960), ‘Baat Ek Raat Ki’ (1962), and ‘Guide’ were among the other hit films in which the two starred together (1965). She also had fruitful collaborations with Bollywood’s other major males, such as Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor. ‘Dil Diyaa Dard Liyaa’ in 1966, ‘Ram Aur Shyam’ in 1967, and ‘Aadmi’ in 1968 were her hits with Kumar, and her films with Kapoor include the critically acclaimed ‘Teesri Kasam’ in 1966.
Her career flourished in the years that followed. She seamlessly transitioned from playing leading ladies to performing character roles as she grew older. She appeared in films like as ‘Kabhi Kabhie’ (1976), ‘Trishul’ (1978), ‘Jwalamukhi’ (1980), ‘Namkeen’ and ‘Namak Halaal’ (1982), ‘Mashaal’ (1984), ‘Chandni'(1989), and Lamhe as a character performer (1991).
She had a break from acting in the 1990s, but returned in the new century to play elderly mother and grandmother characters in films such as ‘Om Jai Jagadish’ (2002), ‘Water’ (2005), and ‘Rang De Basanti’ (2006), and ‘Delhi 6’. (2009).
Major Projects of Waheeda
‘Khamoshi,’ in which Waheeda Rehman played opposite Rajesh Khanna in 1969, is considered one of her most popular films. Her stunning portrayal as Nurse Radha got her a lot of praise from the critics. ‘Pyaasa’ is another of her outstanding films. In the film, she plays a prostitute who assists a struggling poet. ‘Time’ magazine named ‘Pyaasa’ one of the 100 best films of all time in 2005, calling it “the soulfully romantic of the lot.” In the film ‘Guide,’ she took a big risk by playing Rosie. Her portrayal of a lady who abandons her husband for her lover was well received by the audience, and the film went on to become a critical and economic success.
Achievements & Awards
Waheeda Rehman has won numerous Filmfare awards, including Best Actress for ‘Guide’ in 1966 and Filmfare Best Actress for ‘Neel Kamal’ in 1968. In 1994, she received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2011, the Indian government awarded her the Padma Bhushan, the country’s third highest civilian honor.
Personal History and Legacy
Shashi Rekhi (screen name Kamaljeet), a fellow actress with whom she had performed in the 1964 film “Shagoon,” proposed marriage to her, and the couple married in 1974. Sohail and Kashvi were their two children. In the year 2000, her husband passed away.
Estimated Net Worth
Waheeda is one of the wealthiest movie actresses and one of the most well-known. Waheeda Rehman’s net worth is estimated to be $10 million, according to Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider.