One of the yesteryears’ least readily recalled faces, Nanda would rarely make it to a list eulogising the golden era of Hindi cinema. Now, think of some of the most memorable tunes of the same period and you’d be surprised how often the easily forgotten heroine appears. The lilting Yeh sama, sama hai yeh pyaar ka (Jab Jab Phool Khile), the mesmerising Jaane chaman shola badan (Gumnaam), the calming Allah tero naam (Hum Dono), the hypnotic Gulabi aankhen jo teri dekhi (The Train) and the haunting Ek pyaar ka naghma hai (Shor). In spite of having big hits such as Jab Jab Phool Khile, Teen Deviyan, Gumnaam and working with some of the biggest stars of the era, Nanda, who passed away on March 25 at the age of 75, would perhaps be best remembered as the most forgotten heroine.
Nanda started off as a child artiste after the untimely death of her father Vinayak Damodar Karnataki, better known as Master Vinayak, who was a successful actor in Marathi films. But it was her paternal uncle, V. Shantaram, who gave Nanda her first adult role in Toofan Aur Diya (1956). A classical beauty, Nanda, bid her time with supporting roles and second leads that perhaps made it slightly difficult for her to break into the A-league. Later in the 1970s, she slowly receded further into the background and didn’t graduate to playing the mother.
An extremely reserved person by nature, Nanda barely interacted beyond a handful of close friends. She was said to be fond of Shashi Kapoor, who enjoyed his first solo hit in Jab Jab Phool Khile with her. Nanda also happened to be the actor’s first heroine and he, too, was extremely fond of her and considered her a lucky charm. Industry folklore also has it that it was Nanda who recommended the then up and coming Rajesh Khanna to producer Rajendra Kumar for The Train, one of Khanna’s initial hits.
Nanda became friends with Waheeda Rahman on the sets of Kala Bazaar and the two continued to be close even after Nanda stopped working in the 1980s. Her last two big releases were Mazdoor (1982) and Prem Rog (1982), for which she was nominated for a Filmfare Award in the Best Supporting Actress category as well. The only other time that Nanda made news was when she got engaged to Manmohan Desai.
The much-loved creator of the lost & found genre, Desai was a widower who found a second soulmate in the 53-year old actress. The actress had never married but her joy was short-lived when the filmmaker unexpectedly died after accidentally falling from the terrace of his flat. There were hushed talks about Desai committing suicide that remained unconfirmed but his death ended something within Nanda. Since Desai’s death in 1994, Nanda was rarely seen in public and continued to remain out of the spotlight. It’s ironic how in her death we recall Nanda, a heroine who never was, before we forget her forever.
