MID-DAY (July 29, 2020)

Mother India actress Kumkum breathed her last on July 28 at the age of 86. The veteran actress was part of a number of yesteryear hit films like Mother India, CID, Kohinoor, Ujala, and Naya Daur, among others.

Late veteran actor Jagdeep's son, Naved Jafri, took to Twitter to pay respect to the actress. He wrote, "We have lost another gem. I have known her since I was a kid and she was family, a superb artist and a fantastic human being, innalillahe wa innailaihe raajeoon. Rest in peace kunkum aunty #ripkumkum #kumkum"

Kumkum hailed from Hussainabad in Sheikhpura district, Bihar.

Her most memorable film appearances include Mr X In Bombay, Mother India, Kohinoor, Ujala and Naya Daur.

She also starred in the first Bhojpuri film, Ganga Maiyya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo, in 1963.

But her popularity rests mostly on the songs that were picturised on her, be it Madhuban Mein Radhika Nache Re, from Kohinoor (1960), Kabhi Aar Kabhi Paar from Aar Paar (1954) or Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan from 1956's CID.

She was discovered by actor-director Guru Dutt in the 1950s, who case her in Aar Paar in an uncredited role. She later earned a small role in Dutt's Pyaasa.

As told to Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 26, 2018)

A dialogue from the adventure-documentary Given defines how I’ve learnt to embrace life — You don’t need magic to catch a big fish. You just need to follow the stars, listen to the people you meet and catch some waves. Today, that’s how simple it all is to me. But I wasn’t always like this.

I was a damaged, troubled youth with severe anger issues. I was thrown out of my school in Lucknow in the eleventh grade for hitting students, throwing dusters around, stabbing people with things. I never received the love of my parents. I had grown up in a boarding school and hated everything. I complained about everyone. Between the ages of 16 and 18, I tried committing suicide four times. I was into alcohol and drugs and I was just so messed up that I didn’t know anything. I call it the ‘coma phase’ of my life because I don’t know how I survived it.

At the time, I used to work as a security guard at a showroom in Delhi’s South Extension. I was paid Rs 900 but I loved kaju barfi and would spend Rs 200 on a box. I used to be broke by the first week of the month and the other security guards from the area would take pity and feed me. When I had money, I used to sleep at the Jor Bagh community centre but that cost me Rs 25 per night, so mostly, I slept on the footpath.

Soon enough, everybody realised that I spoke English fluently and came from an affluent Army family. Three bhaiyyas from a showroom behind the one I was working at took me in and that’s when I moved on to being a cleaner, salesman and vendor. The list of odd jobs was endless. I was in charge of opening and bringing down the shutters, I sold jeans and shoes door-to-door in Delhi’s 45 degrees heat. It was a nightmare and like was my usual predisposition, I took off.

I started working as a helper in a shop but I quickly found small-town fame as a ‘Raju-like Guide’ and I pretty much excelled at it. Within weeks, I was teaching the tourists rock climbing, river rafting, rappelling and trekking. Then, I turned 20, and took off again. This time, I got on my bullet and drove straight to Mumbai — the City of Dreams.

Till date, I don’t know what Neena Gupta and Star Plus’s Sameer Nair saw in that absolutely pathetic audition I walked into six months after I had arrived in Mumbai. But they offered me the lead role — Aditya — in the teen drama Kyun Hota Hai Pyarr. Then, I went on to do another daily soap, Kohinoor. Neena Gupta always believed in me and gave me the series Guns ‘N’ Roses too. I was cocooned in my own world of shooting because I was facing the cameras every day. In that vacuum, I felt I made it big. Today, I realise how horrible I was in those shows. And then, one thing led to another and I ended up in Bigg Boss — Season 1.

Then, I wanted to be a movie star. While everybody is working for money and money is how we all survive comfortably, I learnt early in life that attaching too much meaning to money and too much emotion to success was foolish. It is always stupid when arrogance sets in. And I had blown up most of my money and was back to being broke. I sold off my house and borrowed Rs 10 lakh from my best friend’s brother. I had lost my way once again and needed to get my act together. With all the money I had left I took off for an acting course at New York’s Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. For the next two years, I completely cleaned up my act and cleansed my mind and body. When you’re discussing movies and acting day in and day out, everything else seems trivial.

I realised that every body has a certain level of purity and honesty as well as impurity and corruption. And as people, we are constantly projecting these feelings onto others. I constantly lived with the burden that I had to accomplish something in life. But when I came back from Lee Strasberg, I had made peace with my past and who I was. I stopped projecting and became comfortable in my skin. I had the right amount of hunger and hope when I auditioned for Abhishek Kapoor’s Kai Po Che. It was the first audition I gave after I returned and I bagged it.

While life at the movies has continued, last year my journey came a full circle when I was invited back to my school, post the success of Sultan. I was the Chief Guest, praised for my work, and my teachers told the students that I was thrown into one life, and I chose to make another life out of it.

And acting has been my best psychiatrist. I am blessed to be in a profession I am passionate about. Acting cleanses me, infuses me with energy and helps me evolve. Every day I spoil my three dogs, do yoga, go jogging on the beach, indulge in expensive hobbies like skiing and super-biking, go to bed at 10 pm and always arrive on set at 6am like a gladiator. Shining and rearing to go.