With Meena Kumari, came the grievance and pain into Hindi cinema. She was an epitome of these and a blend of talent and beauty. What she did not get in real life, she tried to achieve from her movies. She was a dreamer, a poet who found solace in loneliness and pain.
The beautiful Mehejabeen, stepped into the world of grease and glamour from the tender age of six. Her first film as a child artist was Vijay Bhatt's 'Leather Face' (1939). She then metamorphasised into a beautiful heroine and did some heartrenching movies like 'Baiju Bawra' (1954), 'Parineeta' (1955), 'Ek Hi Raasta', 'Sharda' (1957), 'Aarti' (1963) and 'Kaajal' (1966). Her other movies include 'Bahu Begam' with Pradeep Kumar and Rehman and Guru Dutt's 'Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam'. But she also did character roles as in 'Bhabhi Ki Chudiyan', 'Mere Apne' and 'Dushman'. There came movies like 'Dil Apna Preet Parai' and 'Dil Ek Mandir' which saw a totally new Meena Kumari. But one film which did well only because of her and that too after her death is Kamal Amrohi's 'Pakeezah' (1971). This film with Raj Kumar, though took 17 years to complete, did wonders for her but she was not alive to take any of the love, appreciation and applause showered on her. She was someone who had to take refuge from her loneliness by writing poetry and alcohol. Meena Kumari had to pay a lot for her fame and fortune.
Meena Kumari will always be remembered as the tremendous actress as she was and the load of pain she had to undergo. Some of her leading actors were Dilip Kumar, Raj Kumar, Ashok Kumar, Dharmendra, Pradeep Kumar, Rehmaan and Guru Dutt. She still remains fresh in all her co-stars' memories. She still has some die-hard and loyal admirers left.
