{"id":1271,"date":"2016-02-03T00:00:55","date_gmt":"2016-02-02T18:30:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/?p=1271"},"modified":"2019-02-03T11:34:22","modified_gmt":"2019-02-03T06:04:22","slug":"waheeda-rehman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/waheeda-rehman\/","title":{"rendered":"Waheeda Rehman: Quintessential Beauty with Intense Acting Prowess"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Rare pictures of Waheeda Rehman used in this article are courtesy <\/span>Lakshmi Priya, from her collection of film memorabilia<\/span>)<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Waheeda<\/a>

Waheeda Rehman in a 1959 issue of Filmfare magazine. (Pic: Priya Lakshmi)<\/p><\/div>\n

When Waheeda Rehman was chosen for the first Centenary Award for the Indian Film Personality at the 44th International Film Festival of India (IFFI)<\/a> 2013, the decision was roundly applauded as this gorgeous and immensely talented veteran actor’s performances have consistently won her appreciation, awards and numerous fans through several decades.<\/p>\n

The \u2018Quintessential Beauty of Bollywood\u2019 is known as much for her performance as for her choice of roles. Her under-toned approach to essay a character added a landmark shine to the golden era of Hindi films.<\/p>\n

Born in Chengalpattu near Chennai in 1936, when Waheeda Rehman lost her father in 1951, she was barely in her teens. Her mother was finding it difficult to make ends meet.<\/p>\n

It was as this crucial juncture in life that producer CV Ramakrishna Prasad offered her a dancing role in the Telugu film Rojulu Marayi, <\/em>a bilingual which was also made in Tamil as\u00a0Kaalam Maari Pochu<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>in 1955.\u00a0<\/em>Guru Dutt happened to see the Telugu version of this film and offered her a role in\u00a0C.I.D<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The song and dance she performed for Rojulu Marayi<\/em>,\u00a0“Eruvaka sagaro ranno chinnannaa”<\/em>, composed by Master Venu, became a rage.<\/p>\n

Talking about her first film, Waheeda Rehman remembers in\u00a0her conversations with\u00a0noted documentary maker and film writer Nasreen Munni Kabir in the recently released book\u00a0Conversations with Waheeda Rehman<\/a>,\u00a0“Sometime in the late 1950s, I got a call from Dada: You know that Telugu song of yours? Well, sing it for me.”
\n‘Dada, how can I? I am not a singer.’
\n‘I am not going to record you. I know you’re not Lata Mangeshkar. Go on, sing!’
\nI sang it for Dada a couple of times and he composed a song with the same tune for Bambai Ka Babu ‘Dekhne mein bhola hai dil ka salonaa, Bambai se aaya hai babu chinnannaa’<\/em>. Majrooh Sultanpuri wrote the lyrics and even used the word “chinnannaa”<\/em> from the original.”<\/p>\n

This song\u00a0Dekhne mein bhola hai dil ka salonaa <\/em>was later picturised on Suchitra Sen<\/a> and Dev Anand in the film Bambai Ka Babu.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"NTR<\/a>

NTR and Waheeda Rehman relaxing during the shooting of Telugu film Jayasimha (1955)
(Pic: Priya Lakshmi)<\/p><\/div>\n

C.I.D.<\/em> marked the advent of this gifted artist who redefined the role of Hindi film heroine by breaking away from the theatrical style prevalent in the 1940\u2019s and 1950\u2019s.<\/p>\n

With her mentor Guru Dutt, Waheeda Rehman struck a successful on-screen pairing that delivered classic films such as\u00a0Pyaasa<\/em><\/a>\u00a0(1957),\u00a0Kaagaz Ke Phool<\/em>\u00a0(1959),\u00a0Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam<\/em>\u00a0(1962) and\u00a0Chaudhvin Ka Chaand <\/em>(1960).<\/p>\n

Waheeda Rehman remembers SD Burman in an interview to Moti Lalwani<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n