25 Facts About Waheeda Rehman The Epitome Of Beauty

A stubborn newcomer to the film industry, an accomplished dancer, ethereal beauty, and an extraordinary actress – this is how Waheeda Rehman can be aptly described in a few phrases.

In an era, when actresses were not in a position to demand much, Waheeda Rehman always worked on her own terms and conditions. In a career spanning over five decades, she achieved many milestones, did films of varied genres, and portrayed different roles with elan.

Here are some more facts about Waheeda Rehman which may surprise and illuminate you all:

1. Waheeda Rehman was born in a Muslim family in Tamil Nadu

Waheeda Rehman was born on 3rd February 1938 in a Muslim family in Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu.

2. Her father, Mohammed Abdur Rehman, was a District Commissioner while her mother Mumtaz Begum was a homemaker.

3. Waheeda Rehman is a trained Bharatnatyam dancer

She was the youngest of her four sisters. While growing up, all the sisters got trained in Bharatanatyam in Madras (now Chennai). She started to give stage performances while she was very young.

4. Hadad a tough childhood

Waheeda’s dream was to become a doctor, however, when she was just thirteen years old, she lost her father. She gave up on her dream to support her family and accepted movie offers stemming out of her dancing prowess.

5. Waheeda Rehman’s film debut in 1955

She started out her career in films, dancing in item numbers. She made her film debut in the Telugu film Rojulu Marayi in 1955. Thereafter she acted with veteran NT Rama Rao in another Telugu film titled Jayasimha.

6. She was cast in C.I.D by Guru Dutt and then she paved her way in Hindi cinema

It was at the success party of Rojulu Marayi where Guru Dutt noticed Waheeda. He offered her a supporting role of a vamp, in his home production C.I.D. (1956), whose director was Raj Khosla and had Dev Anand as the main lead. She arrived in Bombay (now Mumbai) and with C.I.D. started her long innings in Hindi cinema.

7. Waheeda refused to change her name for showbiz

Raj Khosla wanted Waheeda to change her name and told her that “Waheeda Rehman” did not sound sexy. He quoted examples of Madhubala (Mumtaz Jehan Dehalvi), Meena Kumari (Mahjabeen Bano), and Nargis (Fatima Rashid) and said everyone had changed their names.

However, she remained adamant about using her original name and told Khosla “I am not everyone”. Raj Khosla had to relent.

8. Never wore a costume she was not comfortable in

Waheeda refused to wear a lace blouse for the song Kahin pe Nigahen Kahin Pe Nishana and asked for a dupatta. She cited her contract where she had specified that she won’t wear a costume if she did not like it.

Guru Dutt told her that the dress was not vulgar and had a full sleeve, but she put her foot down, and Guru Dutt had to give in to her demand for a dupatta. All this happened when she had just stepped into Bollywood!

9. In her first Bollywood movie Waheeda played the role of a Prostitute

Her first movie as a lead heroine was Guru Dutt’s Pyaasa (1957), in which she played the role of a prostitute. The movie was a very big hit and is considered one of Guru Dutt’s most acclaimed films.

10. Waheeda Rehman was featured in several critically acclaimed Guru Dutt movies

She did many other films with Guru Dutt, of which Kagaz Ke Phool (1959), Chaudahvin Ka Chand (1960), and Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam (1962) stand out in particular. She received her first Filmfare nomination for Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam, which was also her last movie together with Guru Dutt.

11. Waheeda Rehman and Guru Dutt affair

It is rumored that Guru Dutt and Waheeda Rehman were romantically involved, while Dutt was married to the famous playback singer Geeta Dutt. In fact, Kaagaz Ke Phool is said to be inspired by their ill-fated affair, where a film director falls in love with the actress.

12. The rumor died down in 1963 and Guru Dutt lost his life a year after

However, they broke off due to personal and professional reasons in 1963. Guru Dutt died in 1964 due to a mixture of alcohol and an overdose on sleeping pills.

13. Waheeda Rehman and Dev Anand did a lot of films together

Waheeda Rehman also had a very good working relationship with the evergreen Dev Anand. After C.I.D. she did a number of films with him like Solva Saal (1958), Kala Bazaar (1960), Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja (1961), Baat Ek Raat Ki (1962), Guide (1965), and Prem Pujari (1970).

14. Waheeda Ji won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for her stunning performance in the movie Guide

Guide brought Waheeda major success, fame, and popularity. For her fabulous performance in the film, she won her first Filmfare Award for Best Actress. Her’s was a rebellious and strong-willed character in the movie which was very atypical of the way women were portrayed in Bollywood films. As per Waheeda she had initially declined the role, but took it up after relentless persuasion by Dev Anand…and glad that she did!

15. She has a very close relationship with the veteran actor, Dev Anand

When she met Dev Anand the first time during the shooting of C.I.D., she called him Dev Saab, but Dev Anand asked her to call him just by his first name ‘Dev’, However, being junior to him, she could not muster the courage. He never used to respond to her until she called him by his first name. She is the actress who has done maximum films with him – a total of seven.

16. She is an actress who has worked with a number of superstars when she was at the peak of her career

At the peak of her career she paired with superstars of the time like Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Rajendra Kumar and Rajesh Khanna and gave hit movies like Teesri Kasam (1966), Ram Aur Shyam (1967), Neel Kamal (1968), and Khamoshi (1969).

17. Waheeda Ji’s role in Khamoshi is one of her best acting performance

The last three of the above movies earned her consecutive Filmfare nominations for the Best Actress Award and she won the second Filmfare award for Neel Kamal. Her role in Khamoshi is considered to be Waheeda’s finest acting performance.

18. Waheeda Rehman won the National Film Award for Best Actress

She used to experiment with offbeat roles, as a result she did Reshma Aur Shera (1971) with Sunil Dutt. Though the film tanked at the box office, her performance was appreciated by the critics and she won the National Film Award for Best Actress.

19. Waheeda Ji worked on films in different languages

Waheeda did different roles and varied genres of film. She acted in the Bengali film Abhijan (1962), which was directed by Satyajit Ray. She also appeared in many Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam films.

20. Her last successful movie as a lead actress was Man Mandir

Her last hit movie as a lead heroine was Man Mandir (1971) with the late Sanjeev Kumar. It was also Rakesh Roshan’s first movie which he signed and shot for.

21. Waheeda Rehman’s husband was Shashi Rekhi

Waheeda Rehman married Shashi Rekhi aka Kamaljeet in 1974. The two had worked together in the film Shagoon (1964). She has a son Sohail Rekhi and a daughter Kashvi Rekhi. Her husband passed away in November 2000.

22. The evergreen actress is the idol of the Shehanshah of Bollywood, Amitabh Bachchan

Mega Superstar Amitabh Bachchan has said that he considers Waheeda Rehman as the most beautiful woman and his idol. The two have worked in many films like Reshma Aur Shera (1971), Adaalat (1976), Kabhie Kabhie (1976), Trishul (1978), Naseeb (1981), Namak Halaal (1981), Coolie (1983), and Mahaan, (1983).

23. Surprisingly, the actress played the role of a mother to the Bachchan family members

Interestingly, she has played the role of a mother to the entire Bachchan family. In Phagun (1973) she played mother to Jaya Bachchan, in Trishul (1978) to Amitabh Bachchan, and in Om Jai Jagdish (2002) to Abhishek Bachchan.

24. She took a long break in her career and made a comeback after 12 years

After her appearance in Lamhe (1991), she took a long break of 12 years from the film industry. Later she made a comeback and played the elderly roles of mother and grandmother in films like Om Jai Jagdish (2002), Water (2005), Rang De Basanti (2006) and Delhi 6 (2009).

25. Waheeda Rehman was honored with Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in 2011

For her contribution to Indian cinema, she has been conferred with Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award and the Centenary Award for Indian Film Personality. In 2011 Government of India honored her with the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award of the country.

Portraying her roles with grace and confidence, Waheeda Rehman has left an unforgettable mark on Indian cinema. Her charm is timeless and heartwarming. She is indeed the ever glowing Chaudhavin Ka Chand!