Nutan

Nutan Samarth-Bahl (4 June 1936 – 21 February 1991), known simply as Nutan, was a Hindi film actress. She is considered one of Indian cinema's finest, praised for her naturalistic portrayals of conflicted, often unconventional women. Over four decades, she acted in more than 80 films, from urban romances to socio-realist dramas. She won seven Filmfare Awards, including a then-record five for Best Actress. In 1974, she received the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian honor.

Born in Bombay to filmmaker Kumarsen Samarth and actress Shobhna Samarth, Nutan began acting at 14 in *Hamari Beti* (1950), directed by her mother. She then appeared in *Nagina* and *Hum Log* (both 1951). Her role in *Seema* (1955) brought wider recognition and her first Filmfare Best Actress award. She continued as a leading lady through the 1960s and into the late 1970s, winning the same award for *Sujata* (1959), *Bandini* (1963), *Milan* (1967), and *Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki* (1978). Other notable films from this period include *Anari* (1959), *Chhalia* (1960), *Tere Ghar Ke Saamne* (1963), *Khandan* (1965), *Saraswatichandra* (1968), *Anuraag* (1972), and *Saudagar* (1973).

In the 1980s, Nutan shifted to character roles, mostly playing mothers in films like *Saajan Ki Saheli* (1981), *Meri Jung* (1985), and *Naam* (1986). Her performance in *Meri Jung* earned her a sixth and final Filmfare Award, this time for Best Supporting Actress. She married naval Lieutenant-Commander Rajnish Bahl in 1959 and remained with him until her death from breast cancer in 1991. Their only child, son Mohnish Bahl, became an actor.

Nutan was the eldest of four children born to Kumarsen Samarth and Shobhna Samarth in a Marathi Hindu family in Bombay. Her father was an early developer of the Films Division of India. Her maternal grandmother Rattan Bai and aunt Nalini Jaywant were also actors. She felt self-conscious as a child, thinking she was too skinny. Her parents separated before her younger brother Jaideep was born. Her sisters were actress Tanuja and Chatura. Actresses Kajol and Tanishaa Mukerji are her nieces; Kajol later matched Nutan's record for most Filmfare Best Actress wins.

She attended Villa Theresa School and later Baldwin Girls' High School in Bangalore. Though drawn to performing arts, she also liked arithmetic and geography. She studied classical music for four years under Jagannath Prasad. In 1953, after her film career had started, her mother sent her to La Chatelaine, a finishing school in Switzerland, due to her intensive work schedule and significant weight loss. Nutan called that year the happiest of her life and returned home having gained 22 pounds.

Nutan first appeared on screen as a child in her father's film *Nal Damyanti* (1945). She began her career at 14 playing the lead in *Hamari Beti* (1950), directed by her mother. Unsure of herself during filming, she sang the song "Tujhe Kaisa Dulha Bhaaye Re" for the soundtrack. The film drew attention to her work; a scathing review from *The Motion Picture Magazine* noted her "fine performance" and "great promise." She recalled that relatives who had called her ugly changed their minds after seeing the film.

Her next film, the suspense thriller *Nagina* (1951), was her first commercial success. At 15, she was barred from its premiere because it was rated for adults. The social drama *Hum Log* (1951), about a middle-class family, was also popular; Nutan played Paro, an aspiring writer with tuberculosis. These two films solidified her rising status. In 1952, she entered the Femina Miss India contest and was crowned Miss Mussoorie, but was then sent to Switzerland for her health.

Her breakthrough came with *Seema* (1955), which won her first Filmfare Best Actress award. She followed it with the romantic comedy *Paying Guest* opposite Dev Anand. By the late 1950s, she was a star. In 1959, she starred in two hits: *Anari* with Raj Kapoor and Bimal Roy's *Sujata* with Sunil Dutt, winning her second Best Actress award. Through the 1960s and 1970s, she had many more successes, including *Chhalia* (1960), *Saraswatichandra* (1968), *Devi* (1970), and *Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki* (1978). In *Chhalia*, she starred again with Raj Kapoor and earned a Filmfare nomination; *Filmfare* wrote that as the unfortunate girl disowned by her relatives, she "puts over a super" performance.