Nalini Jaywant

Nalini Jaywant Biography

Nalini Jaywant was a Bollywood actress during 1940’s and 1950’s and has appeared in both leading roles as well as supporting roles. She was the niece of actress Rattan bai – the ancestress of numerous successful Bollywood actresses. Thus she was first cousin of actress Shobhna Samarth, the mother of actresses Nutan and Tanuja and thus grand aunt of Kajol and Tanisha. Thus she is related to many celebrated personalities of Bollywood including Joy Mukherjee, Rani Mukherjee and Ayan Mukherjee. Despite being a part of Samanth family, she lived her last phase of life in solitude and died at the age of 84 in her bungalow at Mumbai. She was first married to film director Virendra Desai and later she married actor Prabhu Dayal and together they have appeared in many movies. She won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for Kaalapani, which remains as her last successful film.

She was born in Mumbai on 18 February 1926. Her father was the brother of actress Rattan bai. Stepping into the shoes of her aunt Rattan bai and cousin, Shobhna, she too entered film world as an actress. At first she appeared in Mehboob Khan's Bahen released in 1941. Then she was seen in bit roles in movies like Nirdosh, Radhika, Aankh Michauli, Adaab Arz and Gunjan till Anokha Pyaar happened to her in 1948. With the rise of 1950’s she became a star of Hindi cinema.

Her performances opposite Ashok Kumar in Samadhi and Sangram proved to be the milestones of her acting career. Later the same successful pair worked in many movies of 1950’s like Jalpari (1952), Kafila (1952), Nau Bahar (1952), Saloni (1952), Lakeeren (1954), Naaz (1954), Mr. X (1957), Sheroo (1957) and Toofan Mein Pyar Kahan (1963). Till mid 1950’s, she remained in the top and a few hit movies are Rahi (1953), Shikast (1953), Railway Platform (1955)), Nastik (1954), Munimji (1955), and Hum Sab Chor Hain (1956). After ‘Bombay Race Course’ in 1965 she took break from the industry and has done a movie 18 years later – Nastik.

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Updated: April 01, 2014