Last Updated: February 22, 2023, 10:54 IST
Nutan was born in 1936 and she was only 15 years old when Nagina was released.
Several critics regard Nagina as one of the important works, catapulting Nutan to fame.
February 21 marked the 32nd death anniversary of Nutan, who passed away at the age of 54 in 1991 due to cancer. Nutan was one of the most celebrated actresses in the history of Hindi cinema. She worked with industry stalwarts such as Amitabh Bachchan and Dev Anand and left an indelible mark on the hearts of audiences with her acting prowess in films like Saudagar, Tere Ghar Ke Samne and others.
Nutan’s journey in the film industry was replete with several milestones and a shocking incident as well. She essayed the lead role in the film Nagina directed by Ravindra Dave. The film was given an A certificate by the censor board. When Nagina was released in 1951, she was extremely excited to be a part of the film premiere and hoped for a rousing reception. Nutan went with her family friend Shammi Kapoor but to her shock and dismay, she was stopped at the gate as she was underage. She was not allowed to see her film! This was a one-of-its-kind incident where the actress did not have the pleasure of watching her film. Nutan was born in 1936 and she was only 15 years old when Nagina was released.
Nagina thrived on its box office run and according to Box office India, it was among the ten highest-grossing films at the time of its release. Several critics regard Nagina as one of the important works, which catapulted Nutan to fame.
Director Ravindra Dave was also appreciated immensely. According to author Jagdish Bhatia, in his book Celebrities: A Comprehensive Biographical Thesaurus of Important Men and Women in India, director Dave “took the cine world by storm” with this film, which, “under his supervision, very suspense subject treated so slickly well photographed”.
For those who have not watched Nagina, it is a mystery-crime thriller crafted with excellence by Ravindra Dave. The story revolves around the life of Shreenath (Nasir Khan) who gets framed for murder but fortunately manages to escape.
