Wahida Rehman is a famous actress whose star lit up in the heyday of Indian cinema. The filmography of the film star, who recently celebrated her 78th birthday, includes over 80 paintings. Next year, two films with her participation are waiting for fans at once, this indicates that she continues to act actively, even after entering an advanced age. What is known about this talented Indian woman, whose name the whole world knows?
Wahida Rehman: childhood
The future star of Indian cinema was born in New Delhi, a joyful event occurred in February 1938. Wahida Rehman grew up in a large family, she has three sisters. The girl’s father was an employee of the Indian Administrative Service, and her mother was a housewife. The family of the future actress professed Islam.
The first years of her life took place in Jaipur, where her family moved. She studied at the school, which worked at the monastery of St. Joseph. From childhood, Wahida Rehman gravitated to creativity, her passion was dancing. The future actress was barely ten when the family lost her father.
Carier start
Already at the age of ten, the girl began to offer small roles in films, but her mother strongly opposed this. Wahide turned 15 when her mother finally gave up and allowed her daughter to star in the film “Rojulu Marayi”. In this film, an inexperienced actress got a small role, which involved participation in a dance number. Looking ahead, it should be said that the mother died shortly before her heiress made her debut in Bollywood.
Surprisingly, it was the number performed by Wahida that the critics considered the main advantage of the picture, and the audience remembered it. One of the fans of the dance of the young beauty was the director Guru Dutt, who invited the girl to move to Bombay. The master is a man to whom Wahida Rehman owes much of his success. She starred in many films made by this man whom she had met for several years.
Creative tandem
In fact, the career of the actress began with the drama Guru Datt "Detective", as this was her first picture in Hindi. The key role in this tape was given to the famous Dev Anand. Wahida Rehman captivated the audience with a song. It was an episode in which her heroine tried to charm the villain in order to save the hero. This film already showed that the aspiring actress can not only dance and sing, but also play.
Soon, the rising star received her first major role in the film, which was again shot by Guru Dutt. In the drama "Thirst", the girl got the image of a prostitute Gulabo, who became a victim of difficult life circumstances. The excellent cooperation began, Wahida played in many of the following paintings of her patron: “Paper Flowers”, “Full Moon”, “Sir, Madam and Servant”. All these tapes saw the light in the early 60s.
Wahid and Dev
Dev Anand is another person who contributed to the formation of the career of a famous actress, who at that time was considered Wahida Rehman. The biography of the Indian woman indicates that they came out a lot of joint projects. Perhaps the most famous of them was the film "Guide", which saw the light in 1965.
In this sensational picture, the movie star embodied the image of the beautiful Rosie. Her heroine throws her husband mocking her, runs away from home with a charming and gentle guide who fell in love with her. It is known that Wahida thought for a long time before agreeing to this role. She was afraid of the negative reaction of conservative Indian viewers, which, however, was not followed.
Bright roles of the 60s
Perhaps the 60s turned out to be the most successful period in the life of such a wonderful actress as Wahida Rehman. Films with her participation came out one after another, gave the mysterious beauty more and more fans. For the role in the film "The Trip", shot in 1962, the actress had to learn the Bengali language, which she did not speak. In 1967, the drama “The Third Oath” was released, in which the famous male Raj Kapoor received the main male role. Wahida in this tape embodied the image of a dancer and singer who falls in love with an occasional fellow traveler. Of course, this film is also full of colorful dance numbers and spectacular dramatic episodes.
“Ram and Shiam” is another famous film in which the actress played a key role in the second half of the 60s. The prima donna got the role by accident, as the actress who was supposed to play her refused at the last moment. Her colleague on the set was the famous Dilip Kumar in India and beyond. The painting “Ram and Shiam”, which tells about the misfortunes of the twin brothers separated in early childhood, amazed even their creators with the commercial success.
One cannot but mention the drama Silence, released in 1969. Wahida in this picture embodied the image of an employee of a psychiatric clinic.
70s movies
The famous Indian film actress actively starred in the 70s. First of all, the drama “Reshma and Shera” should be noted, when writing the script for which the scriptwriters used the images of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The star recalls the filming process with horror, as the group had to work in almost extreme conditions. For several months, the actors lived in tents located in the middle of the desert. However, the role was given to Rehman by the National Film Award, which was awarded to her in 1972.
Already in the second half of the 70s, Wahida began to embody mainly the images of the mothers of the main characters. For example, five times the actress happened to be the “mother” of Amitabha Bachchan. With such roles, Rehman also coped flawlessly, as she once played the fatal beauties.
Personal life
Guru Dutt is a person with whom she has been in love affair for many years, Wahida Rehman. India, as already mentioned, recognized and fell in love with the actress in many respects thanks to the help of this talented person. The star couple broke up immediately after their joint project, “Sir, Madam and Servant,” failed at the Berlin Film Festival.
The actress decided to tie the knot in marriage in 1974, her chosen one was the actor Shashi Rekha. The novel broke out after the young people met on the set of the film "Enchanted." The marriage ceremony was modest, only the closest people in love received invitations. In 1975, a son appeared in the family, and in 1976 a daughter. Wahida became a widow in 2000, when her husband died of a serious illness.
Protracted vacation
To the disappointment of fans, the actress almost did not act in the 80-90s. She preferred to devote herself to raising children, lived with her family on a farm in Bangalore, in this peaceful place Wahida Rehman and her husband moved a few years after the wedding. When the children matured and ceased to need constant parental care, the actress decided to test her strength in business.
Wahida and her close friend Asharafa Satgar together created a factory specializing in the manufacture of breakfast cereals. The new hobby captivated the actress for a long time, she enthusiastically engaged in the development and promotion of her business project. Unfortunately, life circumstances forced her to part with the factory, she sold her share in 2005, which she repeatedly regretted in the future.
The only film worthy of attention, in the filming of which the actress took part in this period, is “Moments of Love”.
Triumphant return
Wahida Rehman again appeared on the set only in 2002, when she was persuaded to play a small role in the film "Spiritual Intimacy." Then followed other successful tapes with her participation: “Water”, “Color of Saffron”, “Delhi 6”. In 2005, the actress again played in the same film with Sumitra Chatterjee, with whom she had previously starred in many films. It was a picture of Park Avenue 15.
In 2017, two pleasant surprises await fans of the star at once. At this time, two film projects with her participation should be released at once: “Song of the Scorpions”, “Many-Faced Janus 2”.
Interesting Facts
Little is known that the movie star is a goodwill ambassador, she does not advertise it. For many years, Wahida has been collaborating with the Pratham organization, which specializes in children's education.
It is possible that in a few years a book will be released containing a description of the life path traveled by a talented actress. Nasrin Kabir, who is involved in the history of Indian cinema, intends to do this work . The writer intends to use movie stars as interview sources, and readers will also find an abundance of amusing facts related to the filming process. Unfortunately, it is difficult to predict exactly when the book will be available to customers, but it is known that work on this work is already underway with the active participation of Rehman herself and her daughter.