Veteran actress Nimmi passed away at the age of 87 in Mumbai on Wednesday, leaving her fans and well wishes in deep anguish. Many industry members, including Saira Banu, Rishi Kapoor, Shabana Azmi and Divya Dutta, took to social media to express their condolences.

Saira Banu tweeted, “Dilip Sahab and I are feeling a deep sense of personal loss at the passing away of our beloved #Nimmi ji. She was my elder. She had always maintained close contact with Sahab and I through her beautiful, loving, prolific, hand-written personal letters in Urdu. Nimmi ji spent good time with my mother #NaseemBanu and through my mother and my husband, I built a bond with her. Such stalwarts are rare. Nimmi ji will be missed. May Allah bless her with Jannat. I have tears in my eyes as I am saying this. (sic)”

Rishi Kapoor also remembered the actress. He tweeted, “RIP. Thank you Nimmi aunty for all the blessings and love for Bobby on its premiere release. You were part of the RK family. Barsaat was your first film. Allha aapko Jannat naseeb kare. Ameen. (sic) ”

---------------------------------

Remembering the yesteryear actress, who passed away at age 88 on Wednesday in Mumbai

Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 27, 2020)

On February 29, a friend sent me Nimmi ji’s number, urging me to go spend some time with her. A day later, another friend called to ask if I’d like to meet her. I promised I would, never imagining that the pandemic would shut us away from the world. On Wednesday, one of my mother’s favourite actresses left the world, at 88, leaving me with just a hazy memory of a scene from Barsaat where she greets Prem Nath, saying, “Kitni der laga di, babu.”

Nawab Bano was born in Agra in 1932, to Abdul Hakim, a contractor in the army, and Wahidan, a star singer. After her mother’s untimely demise, she moved in with her nani and grew up working in the fields. The doe-eyed dairy maid caught the eye of movie mogul Mehboob Khan. Since she was no singer, she continued to blossom in sylvan surroundings till the Partition and communal riots brought Nimmi ji and her nani to Mumbai. Raj Kapoor spotted her on the sets of Mehboob saab’s Andaz and offered her Barsaat, which he was producing and directing.

The next day, she screen-tested with hundreds of starry-eyed hopefuls. The choice eventually narrowed down to six, and when Nimmi ji nervously asked Raj saab if she stood a chance, he told her curtly that her screen test wasn’t great. She burst into tears and he burst out laughing, admitting that he’d been joking. However, his brother-in-law, Prem Nath, who’d agreed to play Raj saab’s playboy friend Gopal despite the role having grey shades, wasn’t impressed when told that he’d be opposite an inexperienced debutante. Even as he groused, Raj saab constantly reassured her that one day she’d be a bigger star than all of them. He sent her home after pack-up on the first day with a huge box of chocolates.

After just a fortnight, the ‘new girl’ Raj saab had rechristened Nimmi, began to attract the attention of other filmmakers and was flooded with offers. She turned them all down, insisting she’d wait till Barsaat’s premiere. The film opened in 1949, and was a blockbuster, despite an adult certificate. While Raj Kapoor and Nargis, with their uninhibited passion play, shocked purists and the prudes but kept the crowds coming, Nimmi, as the lovely and innocent Neela, walked away with all the sympathy. In fact, many objected to Prem Nath’s Gopal taking advantage of her and breaking her heart.

However, after Barsaat, she only received supporting roles. Again, she turned them all down, even though she’d blown up the Rs 7,000 Raj saab had paid her on a new car. She was beginning to worry, when Jalte Deep came along. The film released in 1950, along with Banwra, Raj Mukut and Wafaa. Deedar, Aan (India’s first technicolor film), Amar, Uran Khatola and Daag followed. And Nimmi ji soon had her own following.

Among her many admirers was a school boy in Kolkata. “I never missed a single film of hers. She was beautiful, with large, expressive eyes that spoke volumes. Her performances, particularly in tragic scenes, were so heartfelt, they’ve remained with me,” informed Biswajit da, saddened by the news that one of his earliest matinee idols was gone.

They met around five-seven years ago, at a party hosted by actor Chandrashekhar, and when he told her he loved her films, Nimmi ji graciously reciprocated the compliment, saying from his generation, Biswajit da was one of her favourite actors. “Since then, we were in touch over the phone. In 2015, when she was presented with an award in Kolkata, she called to request that I attend the function too, as I was in the city. I was happy to go for her. I sat beside her and accompanied her on stage,” he reminisced.

Rishi Kapoor tweeted on Wednesday, saying his Nimmi aunty was part of the RK family. Prem Sagar, the son of Ramanand Sagar who wrote Barsaat, says she was a part of the Sagar parivar too, both his father and she having started their careers together. When his parents, four brothers, sister and he were living in a 640 square-feet apartment in Mahim, she’d often drop by, much to the delight of his youngest brother Moti, who was around five at the time and adored the beautiful actress. “He’d welcome her with chortles of ‘Yamma aaye’ and scribbled her phone number behind the bathroom door. She was the heroine of papaji’s first production, Mehmaan. On December 12, 2005, after he passed away, among the many who came to our house to pay their last respects, was Nimmi ji. She came quietly, touched papaji’s feet and disappeared in the crowds. When she was leaving, I walked up to her and stood with my head bowed in humility, amazed that she’d honoured a 56-year-old relationship. Today, she is gone too,” he said emotionally.

Biswajit da, who has enjoyed many phone conversations with her, admitted that of late, whenever he called, a girl would answer and tell him Nimmi ji wasn’t well and asked if he could call later. “Last year, we’d met at another award show, this time she was in a wheelchair but was as gracious as ever. She sat beside me and we had lots to remember,” he sighed over the memory.

Nimmi ji also attended the Filmfare awards in 2018, looking every inch the star. Even though it was a long walk to her seat, she was happy to be at the show after years.

I’d like to end this piece with another song of hers, from Sazaa…

“Tum Na Jaane Kis Jahan Mein Kho Gaye, Hum Bhari Duniya Mein Tanha Ho Gaye, Tum Na Jaane Kis Jahan Mein Kho Gaye…”