Veteran actress Kumkum died on Tuesday. She acted in more than 100films. She grew up in Bihar.It was reported that she passed away peacefully at her residence in Bandra, Mumbai. The cause of her death is yet to be known. Kumkum’s notable films are Mother India, Naya Daur, Aar Paar, CID, and Kohinoor, among many others.
Her father, Nawab Manzoor Hassan Khan, was a landlord in Hussainabad. Kumkum started taking lessons in classical dancing from a very early age. Later, she learnt Kathak from Pandit Shambhu Maharaj. Her dancing talents went ahead to give her many breaks in multiple hit movies. Kumkum’s sister Radhika was also an actress who worked in films like Raat Ke Rahi and Kala Samundar. Actor Govinda is Kumkum’s nephew.
She was discovered by the legendary Guru Dutt, who picturised a song for his movie Aar Paar (1954) on Kumkum. It became her debut performance in Bollywood. She soon went on to become a popular household name during the ’50s and ’60s. While she worked with a number of leading actors, Kumkum is perhaps best remembered for her films with Kishore Kumar. She also acted in films like Raja Aur Runk, Geet, Aankhen, Ek Sapera Ek Lootera, Mr. X in Bombay, Son of India, Ganga Ki Lahren and Lalkar, to name a few. In 1963, she became the leading lady in the first-ever Bhojpuri film titled Ganga Maiyya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo. She left the film industry post her marriage, although after moving back to Mumbai in 2004, she launched the first-ever Bhojpuri film magazine.
Later in her career, before her retirement in the 1970s, Vinod Khanna was among the actors she romanced on screen. The song Chaand Kya Hai Roop Ka Darpan from Dhamkee (1973) was a hit.
Her most frequent co-star was Kishore Kumar, with whom she was paired in several films. Among their successful songs together is Khoobsurat Haseena from Mr X in Bombay (1964).
