{"id":2038,"date":"2015-08-01T10:47:04","date_gmt":"2015-08-01T05:17:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/?p=2038"},"modified":"2018-08-01T10:38:58","modified_gmt":"2018-08-01T05:08:58","slug":"inimitable-meena-kumari","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/inimitable-meena-kumari\/","title":{"rendered":"No One Quite Like Her – \u00a0The Inimitable Meena Kumari"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Meena

Meena Kumari (Pic courtesy: Wikipedia)<\/p><\/div>\n

I have a young friend whom I call Meena Kumari. She blushes when I call her that, and smiles prettily, but she is flattered.<\/p>\n

I call her that, because for the longest time she has been an avid fan of the actress. Not only has she watched her films but she has also read her poems, listened to the recorded reading of the poems in the writer’s voice, and mined magazine archives online for articles on Meena Kumari.<\/p>\n

Why are you fascinated by Meena Kumari, I remember asking. “Because she was such a great actress, and so beautiful,” came the instant response, to which she added, “and she led such an unhappy life.”<\/p>\n

That was indeed a strong combination. Good looks, great talent and unhappiness. Perhaps no other star combined all three in such a heady brew as Meena Kumari did. No wonder her fans were legion. In these days of hip thrusting, booty shaking heroines, who can wear a mini skirt with aplomb, and shed glycerin tears when called to do so, Meena Kumari’s type of talent has few takers.<\/p>\n

Though gifted with an instinctive understanding of how to emote and bring out the nuances of a character, Meena Kumari was also an actress who worked hard at her roles. She needed to know the woman she was portraying, and get under her skin, shedding her own persona in the process.<\/p>\n

\"Parineeta\"

In Parineeta<\/em>, her entire body language is exactly as Sarat Chandra must have imagined of the heroine of his story.<\/p><\/div>\n

Watch her in movies as different one from the other as Parineeta<\/em> and Kohinoor<\/em> and you will see how Meena Kumari is the personification of the subdued, gentle, giving soul in the former and the fun loving, devil may care, regal woman in the other. In Parineeta<\/em>, her entire body language is exactly as Sarat Chandra must have imagined of the heroine of his story. The way Meena moves, the very flow of her simple sari, the movement of her eyes, eloquent with unspoken words, the hesitation of her very being is evident in every frame. The lighter moments in the film are a rare contrast; for all practical purposes she embodies the essence of the Bengali girl bowed under the weight of her class and her unspoken adoration for a man above her station.<\/p>\n

In Kohinoor<\/em>, on the other hand we see a Meena Kumari who is regality itself. Her stance is that of a princess, she is girlish enough not to yet walk like a crowned queen, and yet it is clear she is no commoner. Matching her co- star Dilip Kumar line for line, expression for expression in every scene, her twinkling eyes and the way she bites her lip completes the portrayal of a woman in love with life and everything it has to offer.<\/p>\n

\"Kohinoor\"

The film’s (Kohinoor) main stars carry on with pure aplomb, not caring about their reputations as Tragedy King and Tragedy Queen.<\/p><\/div>\n

Take a look at the scene when a disguised Dilip, in an attempt to rescue his lady love, tries to convince her to love the villainous Jeevan (who else?) who is holding her captive. Not recognising her lover, Meena who throws everything she can lay her hands on, on the two men. Fortunately the objects only strike Jeevan who beats a hasty retreat. When in her attacks on Dilip his false beard comes off and she realises who he really is, the expression on Meena’s face is pure delight. The comic scene continues with her chasing Dilip who thinks she still does not know who he is, round and round the bed, still holding a large flower pot in her hand. It is a scene more suited for Johnny Walker and Kum Kum, but the film’s main stars carry on with pure aplomb, not caring about their reputations as Tragedy King and Tragedy Queen.<\/p>\n

Though she started as a child star and as Baby Meena overshadowed her elder sister, who was already acting in films, Meena Kumari first entered the audience consciousness as an artiste with Vijay Bhatt’s Baiju Bawra<\/em>. Her vulnerable girlishness, the expression of devout admiration for Baiju that shines out of her eyes, and her ready font of emotions coupled with the haunting songs she had as her share of Naushad’s timeless musical score, helped her overshadow the more experienced Bharat Bhushan in scene after scene. The Filmfare trophy she won for the role was an intimation of many to follow…by the time Meena ended her career, she had created a record for winning the maximum Best Actress trophies from the magazine.<\/p>\n

Tu Ganga Ki Mauj<\/em> (Baiju Bawra<\/em>, 1952)<\/span><\/p>\n