The 10th Filmfare Awards in 1963 had the first ever – and only – instance of one actor scooping up all the nominations in a category. Hindi films’ “Tragedy Queen” Meena Kumari, known for portraying a wide gamut of wronged and long-suffering yet stoic Indian women, was the only contender for Best Actress – for “Aarti”, “Main Chup Rahungi” and “Saheb Bibi Aur Ghulam”.
It was tragic that Meena Kumari, who was termed as the “tragedy queen” of Bollywood for her immortal, iconic portrayals of a varied gamut of wronged, silent and long-suffering but dignified Indian women from passed-over love interests to neglected wives, was also one of the most unfortunate actresses whose grief did not end when the shooting was done.
The problem begins when the dividing line between their reel and real life begins to blur. Meena Kumari, known for playing star-crossed characters heading for a tragic fate, became a hapless victim of the unfortunate blurring of this line separating the personal and the professional.
