Mumbai: Kamini Kaushal, one of Hindi cinema’s earliest and most celebrated female stars, passed away at her Mumbai residence late Thursday night. She was 98 and would have turned 99 in February, her close family friend Sajan Narain confirmed.
Kaushal began her journey in films with the landmark 1946 classic Neecha Nagar, directed by Chetan Anand. The film, which won the top award at the first Cannes Film Festival, marked the beginning of her extraordinary career that continued till 2022. She made her final screen appearance in Aamir Khan’s Laal Singh Chaddha at the age of 95, completing an unparalleled 76 years in Indian cinema.
Born as Uma Kashyap on February 24, 1927, in Lahore, she was the daughter of renowned botanist Shiv Ram Kashyap, considered the father of Indian botany. A graduate in English literature from Government College, Lahore, she stepped into the film industry when Chetan Anand, a family friend, cast her in Neecha Nagar. He gave her the screen name Kamini Kaushal to avoid confusion with his wife, also named Uma.
Kaushal quickly rose to prominence, becoming one of the highest paid actresses of the late 1940s and early 1950s. She starred opposite the legendary trio—Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor—in several celebrated films including Do Bhai, Aag, Shaheed, Ziddi, Shabnam and Arzoo.
Her performance in Bimal Roy’s Biraj Bahu (1954) earned her a Filmfare Award for Best Actress and cemented her place among Indian cinema’s finest performers. She later portrayed the lead in the widely acclaimed film adaptation of Premchand’s Godaan.
In 1967, her role in Manoj Kumar’s Upkar marked her transition to motherly characters, a change she embraced with grace. She went on to play mother roles in numerous hit films such as Purab Aur Paschim, Roti Kapda Aur Makaan, Shor, Dus Numbari and Santosh. She also appeared as Rajesh Khanna’s onscreen mother in Prem Nagar (1974) and Maha Chor (1976).
Kaushal appeared in the British TV series The Jewel in the Crown in 1984 and continued to work selectively in films and television. In her later years, she featured in films like Chennai Express and Kabir Singh before her cameo in Laal Singh Chaddha.
Beyond cinema, she was seen in television shows such as Chand Sitare, Shanno Ki Shaadi and Waqt Ki Raftaar.
Kaushal married her brother-in-law BS Sood in 1948 after her sister’s death, becoming an adoptive mother to two daughters. The couple later had three sons—Rahul, Vidur and Shravan.
Tributes poured in from across the industry following news of her death. The Producers Guild of India posted, “We pay tribute to the versatile and multifaceted Kamini Kaushal ji whose captivating performances have enthralled millions in a career spanning over seven decades. Condolences to the family.”
