December 31st, 2010

Nalini Jaywant – Factfile

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Back to Miss Photogenic – Nalini Jaywant
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Nalini Jaywant appeared in approximately 61 Hindi films forming the most popular screen pair with Ashok Kumar.

A Filmfare cameramen’s poll voted her the most photogenic Indian actress ever.

She married twice, first to director Virendra Desai, and later to actor Prabhu Dayal when her romance with Ashok Kumar ended in the mid-’50

Among her leading men, she was paired the most with Ajit and Ashok Kumar (10 films with Ajit and 11 with Ashok). With Ashok Kumar (with whom she was also romantically involved with in the 50s) she worked in Samadhi, Sangram, Saloni, Jalpari, Kafila, Naubahar, Naaz, Lakeeren, Sheroo, Mr. X and Toofan Mein Pyar Kahan. With Ajit she was seen in Nastik, Insaaf, Durgesh Nandini, Aan Baan, Miss Bombay, Kitna Badal Gaya Insaan, Milan, Maa Ke Ansoo, Girls Hostel, and Bombay Race Course.

In two of her earliest films she was paired with playback singer Mukesh - Nirdosh (1941) and Adaab Arz (1943)

Nalini also produced Gunjan (1948) under the banner of Nalini Production. Gunjan was the last  movie directed  by Virendra Chimanlal Desai, [ex] husband of Nalini Jaywant. In Gunjan, Nalini  Jaywant sang  6 out  of  9 songs under Ashok Ghosh’s music direction.

Nalini created sensation way back in the 1950s when she modeled in two-piece swim-suit. (Click here to see her in 2-piece swim-suit). In Sangram (1950), she donned 1-piece swimsuit during the picturization of the song Ulfat ke jadoo ka dil mein asar hai, long before the much publicized Nargis’ and Nutan’s swimsuits in Awaara (1951) and Dilli Ka Thug (1958) respectively.

Like many actors and actresses of the 40s, Nalini sang her own songs in many of her films including Bahen (1941), Nirdosh (1941), Radhika (1941), Aankh Michauli (1942), Adaab Arz (1943), Gunjan (1948) and Muqaddar (1950).

Among her film directors, she worked the most with Kedar Kapoor. Kedar Kapoor directed her in 5 films – Insaaf (1956), Miss Bombay (1957), Milan (1958), Senapati (1961) and Bombay Race Course (1965).

Incidentally, it was in two Nalini Jaywant’s films (Jadoo and Mehbooba) where Shamshad Begum – Lata Mangeshkar rivalry came to the fore. According to Naushad, when most other music directors already moved on to Lata Mangeshkar, he still wanted to keep his options open. In Jadoo (1951), he alternated Lata and Shamshad Begum, giving 4 songs to each of them. In Mehbooba (1954), music director Roshan was replaced by O.P Nayyar because of the growing popularity of Nayyar at that time. Roshan composed 4 songs for Lata and Nayyar composed 4 songs for Shamshad. Mehbooba remains the only film where Lata Mangeshkar shared credits with O.P. Nayyar in the same film. Nalini benefited the most from this rivalry because 16 of these evergreen songs (8 each by Lata and Shamshad) were picturized on her! (More on Lata Mangeshkar – Shamshad Begum rivalry later).

Legendary actress/singer Suraiya said in one of her radio interviews that she didn’t have a brother and  after seeing Sheikh Mukhtar/Nalini Jaywant starrer Bahen (1941), she wished she had a brother like that! Later, in Mr. Lambu (1956), the same Sheikh Mukhtar played the role of her brother.

Miscellaneous