Meena Kumari: Remembering the Tragedy Queen on her birthday

Born as Mahjabeen Bano, Meena Kumari, the charismatic presence on screen, has captured a million hearts with her unique voice and impeccable beauty.

Born as Mahjabeen Bano, Meena Kumari, the charismatic presence on screen, has captured a million hearts with her unique voice and impeccable beauty. (YouTube screengrab) 

The celluloid gem had started working at the age of four to support her family. She made her debut as a child actor when she was seven years old. (YouTube screengrab)

Meena Kumari was born to Master Ali Baksh and Iqbal Begum, a Bengali christian who converted to Islam. She was a far relative of the Tagore family through her grandmother who was disowned after the death of her husband. (YouTube screengrab)

Meena Kumari acted as a Hindu goddess in mythological shows before making her debut in films. With a great financial liberty which was unheard during those times, she became a popular actress. (YouTube screengrab)

The multi-talented actress was also a singer, poet and ardent reader. Though she had no formal schooling, she learned Hindi and Urdu and even has published poems in the latter language. (YouTube screengrab)

Meena Kumari got married to Kamal Amrohi, the director and producer at the age of 18 in a private ceremony. She met Amrohi during the filming of Tamasha. However, the couple separated due to marital discord. (YouTube screengrab)

Meena Kumari was particularly fond of white colour. She used to wear white sarees to events and parties. Her obsession with the colour made Meena to fill her house with white objects. (YouTube screengrab)

In a career spanning over 33 years, she acted in over 90 films in various genres. Meena Kumari was the first actress to win the Filmfare Best Actress Award for her role in Vijay Bhatt's Baiju Bawra. (YouTube screengrab)

Meena is also the only heroine who received all the nominations in the 1963 Filmfare awards. She has won the award four times for her astounding performances. (YouTube screengrab)

In the film Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, she played the character of an aloholic wife which was regarded as the best role she played. (YouTube screengrab)

It is strange that her life often mirrored the roles she played. The tragedy queen passed away on 1972 due to heavy drinking. (YouTube screengrab)