Page 9 - Seniorstoday October 2023 Issue

Waheeda Top 10
In a career studded with memorable frenzied adventure over one night, before
films, a pick of just 10 that show Waheeda the necklace is recovered and she is safely
Rehman at her best: dropped home. The film had some great SD
Burman music too.
Pyaasa (1957):
Early in her career, Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959):
in the film directed In Guru Dutt’s partly
by her mentor, Guru autobiograhical film,
Dutt, she played a Waheeda Rehman
prostitute, Gulabo, plays Shanti, an
who comes across the ordinary woman
work of an unknown who is propelled to
poet, Vijay (Guru movie stardom by
Dutt), and later falls director Suresh Sinha
in love with him. When he is feared dead, (Dutt). His marriage is
a grieving Gulabo takes his poems to be acrimonious and there is a custody battle
published, but the unscrupulous publisher going on between him and his wife (Veena)
puts his own name on the book. Having for their daughter. Suresh is drawn to a
seen the greed and betrayal of people, sympathetic Shanti, but they cannot be
Vijay chooses to turn his back on fame and together. Shanti rises in her career, while
leaves to build a new life with Gulabo. It Suresh goes downhill. A very young
was an unusual and somewhat risky role, Waheeda, also Guru Dutt’s discovery and
but the young actress she pulled it off, protege, mirroring the film, played the
showing all traces of the talent that would complex role with confidence.
grow with time.

Solva Saal (1958): Mujhe Jeene Do (1963):
After doing the In Moni
intense Pyaasa, Bhattacharjee’s Mujhe
Waheeda Rehman Jeene Do, Waheeda
did a light romcom Rehman played
opposite Dev Anand a Chamelijaan, a
with whom she courtesan who gives
made a successful up a life of comfort
and popular pair. to live in the ravines
She plays rich girl with a Daku Jarnail
Laaj, who does not want to marry the Singh (Sunil Dutt), who loves and marries
man chosen by her father, and elopes her. When they have a child, and the cops
with her secret boyfriend, who steals her are out to destroy the bandit gangs, Jarnail
heirloom pearl necklace and abandons her. sends her to live incognito in a village, but
A charming fellow traveller on the train his violent past follows her. She brought
(Anand) offers to help and they have a out the many shades of a woman who

SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #52 | OCTOBER 2023 9