| Realname | Fatima A. Rashid |
| 01.06.1929 * | |
| Place of Birth | Kolkata |
| 03.05.1981 † |
Nargis, daughter of singer and actress Jaddan Bai, was the first female superstar of post independence cinema. She started her film career as a child actress. Acting in the films of Mehboob and Raj Kapoor she became the biggest star of Indian cinema in the 1940s and 1950s. Together with Raj Kapoor she appeared in his early movies Aag:MLE, Barsaat, Awara and Shri 420. But also other directors cast the dream couple - together with Dilip Kumar they acted in Mehboob's Andaaz. This movie was one the first big hit after India's independence.
Acting in Raj Kapoor's Shri 420 in 1955 Nargis had one of her biggest hits in her career. Finally, in 1957, she played the role of Radha in Mehboob's Mother India. The film was a huge success, was nominated for an oscar and until today remains among the most important classics of Hindi cinema. After being rescued from a fire on the sets of Mother India by actor Sunil Dutt the two got married. Their son Sanjay Dutt started his career as an actor in the early 1980s and still is one of India's most important heroes.
After marriage Nargis retired. She turned down several offers for a comeback including the role of Chhoti Bahu in Guru Dutt's production Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, which was finally played by Meena Kumari. She finally returned to the screen for one more film - Satyen Bose's Raat Aur Din. Nargis died of cancer in 1981.