Nirupa Roy
For most cinema goers and lovers , Nirupa Roy was almost a generic term for’screen mother.’ This mainly happened after she played superstar Amitabh Bachchan’s mother’s role in a series of blockbuster movies of 1970s . As the damp-eyed, long-suffering matriarch, she pulled at the heartstrings of a nation. The highly skilful Nirupa would open up the emotional pain and bruises of being the highly-moral centre of the hero’s often sinister and immoral world but wouldn’t give up her morality .
Thus though revered as a perfect, suffering and passionate mother ; She in her long career that spanned half a century from 1946 to 1999, also did over a hundred films as a heroine.
The trajectory of her acting career saw her march through several roles in films – from that of playing the role of heroine, to goddess in religious movies , to performing dramatic and emotional roles in social films and to even performing in off-beat cinema.
Nirupa Roy may not have been the glamour queen but her performances were a masterly work of art and acting .
She had never seen a film when as a 15 years old bride she came to bombay. She and her husband responded to a newspaper Ad for actors and she was chosen . Her husband supported her and she debuted in a Gujarati movie Ranakdevi in 1946. Soon Nirupa had started doing small roles in Hindi films .
The Gujarati-Hindi bilingual film Gunsundari (1948), was Nirupa Roy’s career-making film in which she played a housewife who wins back her husband.
Nirupa was tagged the queen of the religious films after she played the role of Parvatiji in Jayant Desai’s immensely popular film Har Har Mahadev हर हर महादेव (1950).
After that she became extremely busy over the next few years – doing 16 films with Trilok Kapoor alone, and playing the role of several Devis and so overpowering used to be her pious screen image that people would regularly come to her home, fall at her feet and ask for her blessings.
She took the opportunity when Bimal Roy chose Nirupa to play Balraj Sahni’s wife in Do Bigha Zameen (1953) and the film became a super hit .
Nirupa continued to prolifically play the role of heroine throughout the 1950s though many of her films were of low budget . Her best phase came with the devotional film Janam Janam Ke Phere जन्म जन्म के फेरे (its song jara saamne to aao chhaliye जरा सामने तो आओ छलिए topped the Binaca Geetmala for that year .
This led her to better roles opposite heroes like Ashok Kumar in films like Bedard Zamana Kya Jaane बेदर्द जमाना कया जाने and a memorable triplet opposite Bharat Bhushan in films – Samrat Chandragupta, Rani Rupmati and Kavi Kalidas .
The maturity in Nirupa’s face helped her win strong character roles but too early given her age .
In film Munimji (1955), she played Dev Anand’s mother though she was much younger to him. However she bagged Filmfare’s Best Supporting Actress for this film.
With the on set of 1960s, the heroine roles for her dwindled and she got roles as the mother, especially after playing Asha Parekh’s estranged mother in 1961 film, Chhaya छाया and again winning another Filmfare award for it .However the crowning glory in Nirupa Roy’s career came in the 1975 film Deewar दिवार in which she superbly performed as a passionate and upright mother of Angry and rebellious Amitabh and also of simple and honest son – Sashi kapoor . As the moral pivot of the film, Nirupa’s role was far superior to that of the heroines, Parveen Babi and Neetu Singh.Deewar was followed by several Amitabh Bachan blockbusters where she played the role of mother – namely Amar Akbar Anthony, Mukadaar Ka Sikander, Suhaag and Mard.Having played Dharmendra and Amitabh’s mother, she also played Sunny deol’s mother in film Betaab.She cut down on her work by the end of the 1980s and worked only intermittently in the 1990s and she retreated to a comfortable retirement. But she could not resist her old memories when after more than 23 years ; she replayed the role of Amitabh’s mother in film Lal Badshah( 1999).She worked for long 50 years and did about 250 films and thus devoted a large part of her life to cinema- her profession and passion .Nirupa Roy (born as Kokila Bulsara) in a Gujarati hindu family on 4th January 1931 but at age of 15 she married to kamal Roy and had two sons- yogesh and kiran.On 13 October 2004, Nirupa Roy suffered a cardiac arrest in Mumbai, and died at the age of 73.Several tributes and articles have been made and written in her memory. Her dialogues from the film Deewaar became iconic and her acting in her notable films are considered to be a landmark in Hindi cinema.She won best supporting actress award for her films Munimji 1956, chhaya 1962 and Shehnai 1965 and life time achievement award in the year 2004 .———🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹——-
Five stars
List of prominent films of
Nirupa Roy
1946 Ranakdevi ( Debut film)
1948 Jivan Palto
1949 Uddhar
1951 Ram Janma
1953 Do Bigha Zamin
1954 Chakradhari
1954 Durga Puja
1955 Garam Coat
1955. Munimji
1956 Bhai-Bhai
1957 Mohini
1957 Musafir
1958 Chaalbaaz
1958 Dulhan
1960 Aanchal
1961 Chhaya
1962 Bezubaan
1963 Kaun Apna Kaun
1963 paraya
1963 Mujhe Jeene Do
1963 Grahasti
1964 Shehnai
1965 Shaheed
1967 Ram Aur Shyam
1967 Jaal
1968 Aabroo
1968 Raja Aur Runk
1969 Aansoo Ban Gaye Phool
1969 Pyar Ka Mausam
1970 Maa Aur Mamta
1970 Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani
1970 Aan Milo Sajna
1970 Purab Aur Paschim
1971 Ganga Tera Pani Amrit
1972 Jawani Diwani
1973 Kuchhe Dhaage
1975 Deewaar
1976 Maa
1977 Amar Akbar Anthony
1978 Ankh Ka Tara
1979 Suhaag
1981 Aas Paas
1981 Professor Pyarelal
1982 Badle Ki Aag
1982 Teesri Aankh
1983 Betaab
1985 Sarfarosh
1985 Geraftaar
1985 Mard
1986 Angaaray
1991 Pratikar
1993 Aasoo Bane Angaare
1996 Namak
1999 Lal Baadshah( last film)
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