I have a dream to be queen

As her mother worked in films in Bombay, Nimmi grew close to the Mehboob and Kardar families. Unfortunately, her mother passed away when Nimmi was only nine years old and she moved to live with her grandmother at Abbotabad. Her father, Abdul Hakim, continued to stay at Meerut as a military contractor. Following the tragic developments of Partition in 1947, she came back to Bombay with her grandmother and stayed with her aunt Jyoti, who was once a leading film star. The changed circumstances compelled her to seek a job in films. She approached Mehboob for `kaam’ (work) but he heard `makan’ (house) and gave her a small room near Central Studios. She accepted the room but pressed for her original request. As Andaz was then nearing completion, Mehboob told her that she would have to wait till his next picture. After facing rejection at every step, she met Mehboob again and told him, "I have lost all hopes. My only ambition is to get myself photographed by a studio cameraman." Mehboob granted her that wish and and asked veteran cameraman Faredoon Irani to take a still of hers.

When she went to collect her copy, Raj Kapoor, who was working in Andaz, happened to be there. He completely frightened her, for he would look at the photograph and then he would stare at her. The intense anguish and frustration portrayed in her photograph caught Raj’s eye — she was the tragedienne he wanted for his new picture Barsaat. She darted from the studio displeased by the strange looks this stranger was giving her.

The next day, Mehboob sent for her. He pointed at Raj Kapoor and asked her, "Do you know who this is?"

"No," replied Nimmi.

"This is Raj, Raj Kapoor."

"Namaste…" she said in a trembling voice, remembering the previous day’s incident.

"You are to work in his picture Barsaat," said Mehboob.

She had stared lady luck in the face and not even realised it. A complete newcomer, Nimmi’s trial shot for Barsaat was also a dream. But Raj decided not to tell her so soon in her career. "I was really afraid to work with the big and hefty Prem," she admits and adds, "While rehearsing a love scene, I could hardly look at him. I closed my eyes and reeled off the dialogue." Prem befriended her, talked to her about various artists, and how they worked. He often warned her, "See this is your first picture. Big stars like Raj and Nargis will steal all the honours. You and I will be forgotten. See how freely they act. So should we. Otherwise…" The fear of being left out of the limelight spurred her on. The other thing that boosted her confidence were the chocolates that Raj used to gave her before and after her shots, along with flowery words of praise.

But he could also be the stern disciplinarian. After the first shot, Nimmi was anxious to see how she looked on screen. She stole into the studio theatre where the rushes were being shown, but Raj firmly asked her to clear out.

And the same applied while choosing her screen name. Raj felt that Nawab Banoo had no ring of magic to it. He then hit upon the name `Nimmi’, after the dream-girl in his first picture Aag. Nawab did not like the name. "I want a long, long name. Look at other stars. Am I so small after all?" she argued. But Raj was adamant.

With the release of Barsaat in 1949, she catapulted to nationwide fame. And by 1951 she had consolidated her status as reigning queen, with films like Buzdil (1951), Deedar (1951), Daag (1952) and Udan Khatola (1955).

And Nimmi held on to her dreams. Long before the release of Barsaat, she had dreamt of owning a Cadillac. So while thousands in Bombay were applauding her performance at the premiere of Barsaat, Nimmi was missing — she had taken off in search of her Cadillac. Raj had given her a cheque to buy chocolates, and Nimmi bought a Cadillac instead.

In a remarkably short period, following Barsaat, she got more contracts than any other heroine of her stature. She produced Danka (1954) under her own banner. She wowed audiences abroad in Mehboob’s technicolor production Aan (1952). Her statement at the film’s London premiere that she had never been kissed, sent the London press in a flutter and earned her the title: "Unkissed glamour-star of India". In 1957, at the age of 24, she received the critic’s award for her role in Bhai Bhai.

The dreamy-eyed Nawab Banoo has come to stay as Nimmi, one of the most talented tragediennes of the Indian screen.