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NADIRA, ON HERSELF

She shot to fame and filmdom with Mehboob Khan’s Aan. But one role of Maya in Shri 420, changed the course of destiny. For her there was no looking back — or make that no ‘mud mud ke dekh’ for her.

Indeed, Nadira looking sexy and sensuous in that film by Raj Kapoor became a rage overnight. And the cigarette holder in her hand became the talk of the town. The lady in question went through a turbulent childhood, and a worse period of fame. So much so, that she looks back at life and drowns herself in sorrow and drink. Mixing her alcohol with water, Nadira began conversation with me.

“I have just finished shooting for a film called Snip. It was an English film and I was an ayah in the film. No ayahlike mannerisms because I was speaking in English,” she giggled, forgetting her troubles for a moment. Suddenly her mind wandered into oblivion and she came back disturbed.

“But you know, I had to walk up one set of stairs and that gave me a terrible backache. It pains me so much that I am not even able to sit.”

And to imaging that over five decades ago, this lady used to have the audience dancing with her when she moved her body and feet sensuously.

“In fact, I was tagged with that image for long. After I did Shri 420 so many producers came to me and asked me to do a similar role. Shri 420 led me to having the image of an actress who could play negative roles. They had so easily forgotten that I had four big hits before Shri 420 and that included Aan, my debut film which was made by the biggest maker, Mehboob Khan.”

“Do you know that the film Aan took over 35 lakhs in the making, which is very costly by any standards? I was groomed very nicely by Mehboob Khan’s wife. She taught me how to present myself and how to do everything before the camera.” Aan was like a dream come true for Nadira. She was just sixteen when her mother had signed the movie on her behalf. “I was a minor na, that’s why,” she smiles again. “I went to the sets and used to even sit and eat with the other girls in the unit who were extras or in the group scenes. Mehboobji used to get very upset and asked me not to mix up with all the girls, ‘Why don’t you behave like a star’ he would ask me.”

“But tell me that it is a star. Can a box-office hit to a flop turn you into a star and make you into a flop artiste. Don’t performances count? Aren’t they of any value to the people,” she thundered, before going into one of her moods again.

“I have never considered myself as a star. I have always seen myself as a performer. But then I have never been able to do the kind of roles because I have always been typecast. Shri 420 may have been a watershed in my career, but it was also my Waterloo,” she philosophised.

Nadira was so busy rejecting offers after Shri 420, that she hit the nail in her own coffin. “I did not have any money, because I did not have any roles. I told Raj Kapoor that he had ruined my career. One day we even sat and had a drink together, but he got very abusive after drinking that he insulted me. I walked out of the room and that was the last time that I drank with any of my colleagues.”

For Nadira, Raj Kapoor was a brother. “I used to a tie a rakhi to him. But I even walked out of Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai. I was eventually replaced by Chanchal in the film.”

Again she started accepting roles that came her way, but had to budge when she was being typecast as the vile woman, more of a brothel keeper in every film.

“They used to give me only such roles. Then I was being typecast in sympathetic roles. It became more of a drudgery, but then I had to feed myself and people with me.”

People?

“Yes, when I became famous, I suddenly had fourteen relatives in my house. And most of them were ill and on their death bed. I had to feed and fend for all of them. I had 12 gold bangles and I used to count them everyday, in the morning and the night. Finally I had to sell most of them for money.”

But then she never had to starve anytime. “I would never go to bed hungry. I had walked out my first marriage. I could not carry on with a relationship. I have never been able to love the men whom I married. They were horrible people. I don’t want to talk about anything, because I will end up hurting a lot of people. All my marriages were disasters. I was never lucky to get the person whom I wanted to marry.” So how did she kill time? “I can see the Mahalakshmi temple from my house. I have a huge collection of books. I keep reading them. I have books on very subject,” she gestured at her library.

And then she has everyone in her vicinity calling her mummy. Even the ladies who comes to help her run her house — Niloufer and Shobha. Only Niloufer gets her bag checked every time, she goes in and out of her house.

“She is a nice lady. She cooks well, but I have been deceived by so many people. I have had people conning me to a great extent. So I am not sure of anything. I have seen my trust being misused. I am hence very careful now.”

Nadira was also in the process of writing her autobiography. “I cannot give you much information about how I signed my first film and all that. But now I want to write my autobiography. It will not take me much time. I am very fast at writing,” she smiled.

For your information, Nadira completed her 55^th year in celluloid on August 4, 2005. It was a nostalgic feeling for her. “You know I am so excited. I think, I have just begun my career. It just needs the director to tell me to start and I can start anytime. When I hear the word ‘action’ I am ready. I just need the director to say okay and I am ready for my next shot. That is how I want to take my life now!”