Nimmi, the splendid actress of yesteryears, was born on February 18, 1933, in Agra. Today marks Nimmi’s birthday. Nimmi’s real name was Nawab Bano. She was given the name Nimmi by the legendary actor Shomian Raj Kapoor. Nimmi’s mother, Wahidan, was also a famous actress and singer of her time. Meanwhile, her aunt, Sitara Begum, who was famous in the film industry under the name Jyoti, was also a renowned actress.
Nimmi, just 11 years old, was orphaned suddenly when her mother Wahidan passed away. Nimmi’s father, Abdul Hakeem, was a military contractor in British India. At the time of Wahidan’s death, they were living in Meerut.
It is said that Nimmi’s father remarried in Meerut after Wahidan’s death. When Nimmi’s mother Wahidan passed away, her father, Abdul Hakeem, sent her to live with her maternal family in Abbottabad. Since her maternal family was associated with the film industry, when India was partitioned, they brought Nimmi to Bombay (Mumbai). In Mumbai, Nimmi and her maternal family resided in the house of her aunt, Jyoti, also known as Sitara Begum.
Nimmi’s Childhood in Abbottabad
Some say that Nimmi’s father remarried in Meerut. When Nimmi’s mother, Wahidan, died, her father, Abdul Hakeem, sent her to live with her maternal family in Abbottabad. Since her maternal family was associated with the film industry, when India was partitioned, they brought Nimmi to Bombay (Mumbai). In Mumbai, Nimmi and her maternal family resided in the house of her aunt, Jyoti, also known as Sitara Begum.
Introduction to the Film Industry
Nimmi never attended school. Her grandmother taught her Urdu at home. When Nimmi entered the film industry, she also gained knowledge of English. Now let’s talk about how Nimmi entered films. Since Nimmi’s mother, Wahidan, was an actress, she had good connections with Mehboob Khan, a prominent filmmaker of that time.
One day, Mehboob Khan invited Nimmi and her grandmother to watch the shooting of his film “Andaz.” At that time, three great stars of that era, Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, and Nargis, were working in “Andaz.” Nimmi enjoyed watching the shooting of “Andaz” immensely. Right there, she expressed her desire to her grandmother that she also wanted to work in films like her mother.
Nimmi’s Encounter with Raj Kapoor
Nimmi also met Raj Kapoor on the set of “Andaz.” Coincidentally, Raj Kapoor was working on the story of the film “Barsaat” those days and was looking for a new face for one of the characters in the film. When Raj Kapoor learned that this girl also wanted to work in films, he offered Nimmi the opportunity to work in “Barsaat.”
Nimmi’s career was going splendidly. She had worked with every big star of her era, sharing the silver screen with all the leading actresses. Nimmi herself was counted among the A-grade actresses of Bollywood at that time. However, in 1963, Nimmi made a mistake. A big mistake. And that mistake weighed heavily on her career.
The story goes that in 1963, Nimmi was offered a role opposite Rajendra Kumar in the film “Mere Mehboob.” The director of “Mere Mehboob” was H.S. Rawail. He wanted Nimmi to become the heroine opposite Rajendra Kumar. But for some reason, Nimmi was very interested in the character of Najma, Anwar’s sister, in the story.
When Nimmi didn’t back down from her insistence, Sadhana was cast in the role of the main heroine. “Mere Mehboob” was a grand success, and Nimmi was also praised for her performance. However, along with this, Nimmi was also typecast. After “Mere Mehboob,” no director offered Nimmi roles as the main heroine. In 1964, the film “Daal Mein Kala” was released, in which Nimmi was the heroine, and the hero was Kishore Kumar.
After that, neither did Nimmi get offers for heroine roles, nor did Nimmi show interest in working in films. And thus, Nimmi’s glorious film journey came to an end. The last time Nimmi appeared on screen was in K.C. Asif’s film “Love and God” in 1986. She played the role of the heroine, and her co-star in the film was Sanjeev Kumar. But this film was released very late.
Nimmi Married with Ali Raza
Nimmi’s personal life had its own story. She married scriptwriter Ali Raza. Nimmi first saw a picture of Ali Raza in a renowned film magazine, shown to her by her hairdresser. The hairdresser suggested to Nimmi that she should consider marrying him, as he was a very good person.
Nimmi had already heard quite a bit about Ali Raza. She didn’t mind the idea proposed by her hairdresser. Meanwhile, actor Mukri also gave Nimmi the same advice. Mukri even arranged for Nimmi and Ali Raza to meet, and finally, both liked each other. Their families then met and decided on their marriage. Eventually, Nimmi married Ali Raza.
Nimmi never had any children of her own, which always saddened her. Later, Nimmi took her sister’s son under her care. In 2007, Nimmi’s husband, Ali Raza, passed away. Then, in 2020, at the age of 87, Nimmi also left this world.