Waheeda Rehman (born 3 February 1938) is an Indian actress and dancer. Regarded as one of Hindi cinema's finest actresses, Rehman's accolades include a National Film Award and three Filmfare Awards. Rehman was honoured with the Padma Shri by Government of India in 1972, later receiving the Padma Bhushan in 2011. She has received significant media coverage across her film career.
Rehman made her acting debut with the Telugu film Rojulu Marayi (1955), and rose to prominence with her collaborations with filmmaker Guru Dutt: the romantic dramas Pyaasa (1957) and Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), the musical romance Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960) and the drama Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962). Rehman had her breakthrough with the romantic drama Guide (1965), for which she received widespread critical acclaim and received the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. She won the award again for her performance in the romantic thriller Neel Kamal (1968), and additionally earned nominations for her roles in the comedy Ram Aur Shyam (1967) and the drama Khamoshi (1969).
For portraying a clans woman in the crime drama Reshma Aur Shera (1971), she won the National Film Award for Best Actress. From the early 1970s, Rehman has worked primarily in supporting roles, appearing in the romance Phagun (1973), the musical romantic dramas Kabhi Kabhie (1976), Chandni (1989) and Lamhe (1991). In 1994, she was honoured with the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award, and she has since worked sporadically in film.
Apart from her acting career, Rehman is a philanthropist. She is an advocate for education and is an ambassador for Rang De, an organisation combating poverty in India.
Early life
Waheeda Rehman was born on 3 February 1938 to a Deccani Muslim family in Chengalpet of present-day Tamil Nadu, India. It is a common misconception that Rehman was born in Hyderabad instead of Tamil Nadu. Her father was Mohammed Abdur Rehman and her mother was Mumtaz Begum, and she was the youngest out of 4 daughters. As a child, she and her sisters were trained Bharatanatyam in Chennai. She studied in St. Joseph's Convent in Visakhapatnam when her father was posted there in the then-Madras Presidency. Her father, who worked as a district commissioner, died in 1951 while she was in her early teens.
Rehman's dream was to become a doctor, but due to her family's circumstances emotionally and financially, alongside her mother's illness, she abandoned her goal. In order to help her family, she accepted movie offers that stemmed from her dancing abilities. Rehman's first performance on stage as a dancer in earlier days was at Brahmapur's Ganjam Kala Parishad organised by her uncle Dr. Ferose Ali who was a famous doctor and social activist in Brahmapur.
