Guest article by DP Rangan to pay tribute to Kumkum (22 April 1934 – 28 July 2020) on her first death anniversary
(The dancers had an important place in our films. They came in amazing varieties. There was a tradition of the top actresses themselves being professionally trained in classical or popular dance forms, such as Vyjayanthimala and Waheeda Rehman, to Hema Malini to Madhuri Dixit, Rekha and Aishwarya Rai. Some mainstream actresses performed ‘Item Numbers’ for a lark. The other end was a night club or cabaret dancer, such as Helen, Bindu and Jayshree T etc. Since this was not seen as a very noble activity, they were generally given a small role of a vamp.
In this crowded field, it is to the credit of Kumkum that she carved out her own niche as a dancer with grace on whom some of the most memorable songs of the Golden Era have been picturised. As she had a proper training in Kathak, her dance always showed her class. Her natural talent for dance, her supple body and expressive eyes made her a sought after artist. She did several lead roles or second lead roles in which she showed her acting prowess too. To pay our tribute to her on her first death anniversary is the indefatigable DP Rangan.
As the regulars of SOY are well aware, Mr Rangan is 70-plus going on 17. He is the most prolific guest author on SOY. Undeterred by the difficulty of language, he is always after me what next he should write on. I instantly welcomed his suggestion to write on Kumkum. Thank you Mr Rangan for this tribute to Kumkum we all like so much. – AK)
The lure of filmdom started right after movies started invading everywhere. Men and women in search of fame and wealth had made a beeline for the tinsel towns where studios were rooted and functioning. Our Bharat is no exception to this golden rule. Lahore was probably the first town where this started during the colonial era. Calcutta also emerged as another such centre. Then Bombay joined the bandwagon and thereafter Chennai came into the film map. As part of technical advancement, silent movies were supplanted by talkies with the film Alam Ara in 1931. All with a histrionic talent or with pretensions to it sought fame and riches in this tinsel world of glamour. Most of them came from poor families ready to confront this game of life and death. Success meant stardom, wealth and fame and those who failed to make it count were left by the wayside. Ladies with alluring looks as a powerful weapon had an easier time at grappling with the studio moghuls and those with dancing skills had a decided advantage.
Our lady Kumkum, an expert exponent of Kathak landed in Mumbai to try her luck in the film world. Initially, she started as a dancer and then graduated to play bits and parts in movies as an auxiliary actress and thereafter acted as a heroine opposite a few leading actors. Unlike other ladies like Vyjayajthimala, Waheeda Rehmaqn, Padmini, Hema Malini, who became legends in their active career years, she was quite subdued. Yet she managed to participate in more than 100 movies from 1952 to 1973, when she chose connubiality over filmdom. My efforts to classify her movies into three categories – dancer, supporting actress and heroine were foredoomed as it was not possible for me to view all the movies individually. Whenever I am in a doldrum, I always turn to my patron and film encyclopedia – Arunkumarji and he readily obliged with enough data for writing this post. He also gave a link to a site – Beete Hue Din – a goldmine of information on her and I offer my thanks to the author of the site. I also did a bit of search/stumble around with the assistance of my patron saint – Serendipity – and now I am offering my inadequate version of her biography for dissection by the veteran blog followers. As usual I managed to gain the sympathy of AKji into overlooking my mediocrity (I deem it tour de force) and accept this for upload on the first anniversary of her departure from the mortal world.
She was born amidst riches on 22nd April 1934 at Hussainabad near Patna and her parents were Nawab Mansoor Hassan Khan, a rich titular landlord and mother Khursheed Bano. She was christened Zaibunnisa Khan at birth. When she was around two years, the family shifted to Patna. According to Kumkum, her father lost the title of Nawab thanks to Government action and after erosion of ancestral wealth was thrown from riches to penury. They were eking out an existence for some time and when Kumkum was five years old, the family had to shift to Calcutta for survival. Her father tired of facing difficult days deserted the family, married again and migrated to Pakistan with his second wife and the thread was severed in full. Kumkum had aspired to be a dancer and be a film actress. Her mother, a damp squib, tried to discourage her by stating her plain looks would prevent her from achieving her ambition. Kumkum was not put out and after her schooling proceeded to Lucknow to learn dancing. She was a pupil of Shambhu Maharaj and after strenuous training became an accomplished Kathak dancer.
In 1952 the entire family shifted to Mumbai. Naushad whom she knew well from her Lucknow days got her a minor role as a dancer in the film Sheesha (1952) and the song was “Angana baaji shehnai re, aaj mori jagmag atariya” sung by Shamshad Begum under Ghulam Mohammad direction and lyrics were by Majrooh Sultanpuri, the only one out of 8 songs for which no mp3 or video are available.
Our lady states that she was called “Zeba” by near and dear ones and decided to adopt the pet name “Kumkum” as nom de guerre in her role as a film actor. For the next around 115 films in which she participated this was her screen name.
I was able to collect year-wise details of 107 films she appeared in from 1952 till 1973. One more film of hers – Bombay By Nite – was completed with many interruptions and was released in 1976. She acted against Sanjeev Kumar in the film.
| Period (Years) | No. of movies |
| 1953 – 1955 | 16 |
| 1956 – 1960 | 48 |
| 1961 – 1965 | 16 |
| 1966 – 1970 | 20 |
| 1971 – 1973 | 6 |
| 1976 | 1 |
Despite the handicap of segregating movies she acted into category of dancer, auxiliary actress and front-line heroine, I give below a representative figure based on the reliable data provided by Arunkumarji and other sources.
DANCER
Sheesha (1952)
Meenar (1954)
Pehli Jhalak (1955)
House No. 44 (1955)
Musafirkhana (1955)
Ek Hi Rasta (1956)
Bhagam Bhag (1956)
Naya Daur (1957)
Bhakt Raj (1960)
(https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0474975/)
SECONDARY ACTRESS
Kundan (1955)
Pyaasa; Mother India (1957)
Suvarn Sundari; Mr. Qartoon MA (1958)
Char Dil Char Rahen (1959)
Krorepati (1961)
Aankhen (1968)
Dharti; Geet (1970)
HEROINE
Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere (1960 – Dharmendra)
King Kong (1962 – Dara Singh)
Son of India (1962 – Kamaljeet)
Qawwali ki Raat (1964 – Kamaljeet)
Ek Sapera Ek Lutera (1965 – Feroz Khan)
Raja Aur Rank (1968 – Sanjeev Kumar)
Jalte Badan (1973 – Kiran Kumar)
Dhamkee (1973 – Vinod Khanna)
Ek Kunwari Ek Kunwara (1973 – Pran)
She and Kishore Kumar came together in fourteen films and in four of them she was the heroine opposite him.
Ganga Ki Lahrein (1964)
Mr. X in Bombay (1964)
Shreeman Funtoosh (1965)
Haye Mera Dil (1968)
Having digressed a little, I will now come to the main theme of tracing her career. After her brief venture in Sheesh Mahal (1952) she was just flirting around. Then came the year 1954, her Annus Mirabilis. Guru Dutt had just completed his first venture Aar Paar with Shyama opposite. O. P. Nayyar as music director scored a direct hit after three unremarkable films earlier. The first song “Kabhi aar kabhi paar” was sung by Shamshad Begum and the cast was Jagdeep. It is alleged Censor Board did not like a male to feature in a female song. Guru Dutt had to recast the scene. It was too minor a role for inviting any well-known actress. Guru Dutt called Kumkum and she readily accepted the role as a dancer working at a construction site. The dance scene was choreographed by Guru Dutt himself. An indulgent fate launched her in the film world. She acted in C.I.D. opposite Johnny Walker and the duet – Ae dil hai mushkil jeena yahan was another jewel of the film and she carried off her role as a petulant love pursued by Johnny Walker, a pickpocket in the film. In the next Guru Dutt venture – Mr. and Mr. 55, she played her role as a mother with five children. Her steady journey in the film world continued for the next two decades. After appearing in nearly 115 films, the last of which was Jalte Badan (1973), she called it quits and sailed into her next role as a housewife. She got married to Sajjad Akbar Khan of Lucknow in 1975 and shifted to Saudi Arabia along with him where she lived for the next twenty years and returned to India in 1995 when her husband came back to Mumbai to continue as a builder with a daughter Andaleeb in tow.
I will now present a few of the songs in which she figured as a dancer to start with.
1. Dekh idhar O jadugar by Lata Mangeshkar from House No. 44 (1955), lyrics Shakeel Badauni, music S D Burman
A mujra dance performed by Kumkum in a nautch house.
2. Ja ja re ja baalamwa by Lata Mangeshkar from Basant Bahar (1956), lyrics Shailendra, music Shankar Jaikishan
A picture about the troubled life of a poet (Bharat Bhushan), the film is replete with soulful and sweet songs. Kumkum puts up a creditable performance as a court dancer.
Another notable dance song in which Kumkum pairs with Nimmi is – Kar gaya re kar gaya mujh pe jadu by Asha Bhonsle and Lata Mangeshkar.
3. Le le bahar mein bahar ke maze by Asha Bhosle from Meenar (1954), lyrics Rajendra Krishna, music C. Ramchandra
Kumkum is the main dancer at the wedding ceremony.
4. Kaise lagi jaye to jaye by Asha Bhosle and Usha Mangeshkar from Ek Hi Raasta (1956), lyrics Majrooh Sultanpuri, music Hemant Kumar
Here is Kumkum pairing with another dancer.
5. Reshmi salwar kurta jaali ka by Shamshad Begum and Asha Bhosle from Naya Daur (1957), lyrics Sahir Ludhiyanvi, music O P Nayyar
A typical O P Nayyar piece from the movie and Kumum does her part as dancer.
Initially she figured mainly as a dancer in a few movies, but as she was cast in minor roles, the emphasis was always on her dancing skills and she danced her way through such movies whenever the story allowed it. Now a few songs from movies where she had roles to play, though not as a heroine.
6. O meri jaan gair ko tum paan kilaya karo by Mohammad Rafi and Geeta Dutt from Kundan (1955), lyrics Shakeel Badauni, music Ghulam Mohammad
The way Rafi opens the song one would not expect what actually follows. A fun-filled duet between Om Prakash, a local rustic and Kumkum, the paan seller, full of leg pullings. Kumkum does her part well rejecting advances of Om Prakash and scolds him not to come empty handed to the bazaar expecting paan as a freebie and skidoo as a counter to Om Prakash, who lectures about the meanderings of love – Tum to naddan ho kya jaano mohabbat kya hai. A light-hearted parody rendered in a superb style by Rafi and Geeta Dutt which also shows the genius of the lyricist, known for serious song writing, in penning such songs of lighter vein, and Ghulam Mohammad for the music.
7. Ghunghat nahi kholungi saiyan tore aage by Lata Mangeshkar from Mother India (1957), lyrics Shakeel Badayuni , music Naushad
Kumkum in the role of a village belle Champa is flitting around like a butterfly in the rural landscape teasing her love Rajendra Kumar, a rustic in a typical rural garb while dancing and singing this lovely piece. It is vintage Naushad and an all-time favourite of mine, I never tire of listening it umpteen number of times. Half the charm is the visual effect of the natural vista in which both are picturised.
8. Kahan jaate ho saiyan by Asha Bhosle from Do Gunde (1959), lyrics Majrooh Sultanpuri, Music, Ghulam Mohammad
Kumkum is pleading with a reluctant Raaj Kumar not to desert her. She is also exhibiting a female inconsistency by her bland statement that she would not beg him to be with her and yet, in the end, tries to restrain him while Ajit, probably a competitor for her affections, is watching this gung-ho drama from his place of concealment.
9. Daga daga vai vai by Lata Mangeshkar from Kali Topi Laal Rumal (1959), lyrics Majrooh Sultanpuri, music Chitragupt
An oft-repeated scene in many movies, Kumkum indulges in a flirtatious dance to lull the bad elements guarding the fortress into stupor, enabling the hero and his love to enter the house and search for whatever they were after. The lyrics and the tune fit the scene like a fiddle and Kumkum is simply superb.
10. Madhuban mein Radhika naache re by Mohammad Rafi from Kohinoor (1962), lyrics Shakeel Badayuni, music Naushad
Kumkum is more than a dancer in this movie. She is part of the court orchestra but openly wears her love for the prince Dilip Kumar. Sensing that his affections lie elsewhere, sacrifices her love and helps him overcome his enemies in the end. This song is a great fusion of music and dance. Set in the raag Hamir, Naushad created a masterpiece and it has all the elements of a dance song, vocals followed by dance notes and an excellent play of the sitar. Kumkum exhibited her dancing skills in full and the video is par excellence, enjoyable from beginning to the end for nearly 7 minutes.
11. Jadugar quatil by Asha Bhonsle from Kohinoor (1960), lyrics Sahir Ludhiyanavi, music Naushad
Running dialogue between Dilip Kumar and Kumkum is delectable, and Kumkum is really great in her role in this song, expressing her love in such a subtle manner followed by a graceful pirouette displaying extreme skill in the terpsichorean art which she had mastered under Shambhu Maharaj.
She acted as a heroine against contemporary leading actors of her time and many of the movies had hit songs which are popular to this day. I am listing a few of them.
Machalti hui hawa mein chham chham (Ganga Ki Lahrein)
Khoobsurat haseena (Mr. X in Bombay)
Sultana sultana (Shreeman Fantoosh)
Izazat ho to (Haye Mera Dil)
Mera naam hai Chameli (Raja Aur Rank)
Chaand kya hai roop darpan (Dhamkee)
12. Ye vaada karein jahan bhi rahein by Mukesh and Lata Mangeshkar from Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bi Tere (1960), lyrics K L Pardesi, music Kalyanji-Anandji
A popular duet of the time, Dharmendra and Kumkum are traipising around all sorts of places singing their love duet, i.e. pas de deux.
13. Mujkho is raat ki tanhai by Lata Mangeshkar from Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere (1960), lyrics Shamim Jaipuri, music Kalyanji-Anandji
Another popular song from the movie. It has a Mukesh version too. A heartbroken Kumkum is singing this song of pathos.
14. Jata hai to ja O jaanewale by Lata Mangeshkar from King Kong (1962), lyrics Majrooh Sultanpuri, music Chitragupta
Kumkum acts with hero Dara Singh for whom this was the first movie. This song was originally in the film but subsequently got deleted when released as CD in the market. An aggressive Kumkum is chasing a pouting Dara Singh.
15. Diya na bujhe re aaj hamara by Lata Mangeshkar and chorus from Son of India (1962), lyrics Shakeel Badayuni, music Naushad
The film was a flop despite the big banner and its director Mehboob Khan. Naushad gave many memorable songs. This stage dance is one such a song.
16. Ae jaane nazar chilman se agar halka sa ishara ho jaye by Mohammad Rafi and Mubarak Begum from Qawwali Ki Raat (1964), lyrics Shewan Rizvi, music Iqbal Quereshi
As the title suggests, the film is full of qawwalis. This is one such between Kamaljeet Singh and Kumkum.
Kumkum had the unique distinction of acting as a heroine in the very first Bhojpuri film made in India – Ganga Maiya Tohe Pyari Chadhaibo (1963). I am uploading two of the songs from the film. All the songs were written by Shailendra and Chitragupta composed music.
17. Kaahe basuriya bajawale by Lata Mangeshkar from Ganga Maiya Tohe Pyari Chadhaibo (1963), lyrics Shailendra, Music Chitragupta
The full history behind the making of the film is given below the video on the YouTube.
18. Hey Ganga maiya tohe piyari chadhaibo by Lata Mangeshkar, Usha Mangeshkar & chorus.
The scene behind the song depicts the river Ganga and lot of people journeying in boats.
From 1995 Kumkum led a calm and sedate life with her husband and daughter in Mumbai and shunned all publicity. Her break from film world was complete. She entered the film world as a dancer par excellence and then moved up the ladder as an actor in minor roles and then a heroine. During all this period, she had always a role to play as a dancer in most of the movies. She breathed her last on 28 July 2020 aged 86 years.
Hers was a smooth career in films starting as a dancer. She went through life untrammelled by problems and there were no ups and downs. I decided to present her career in the roles she played and fitted songs accordingly. I leave it to the great community of followers of this blog to judge my performance. In the comments section, the challenge would be to present her songs classified as pure dancer, minor roles and heroine.
Acknowledgements and Disclaimer:
The song links have been embedded from the YouTube only for the listening pleasure of the music lovers. This blog does not claim any copyright over them, which rests with the respective owners of the rights.
{ 34 comments… read them below or add one }
Ranganji,
An excellent tribute to one of the finest dancing stars of the golden era on the occasion of her first death anniversary!!
Kumkum has always been a favorite of mine, a delight to watch with her radiant smile, dancing eyes and the grace and energy in her movements.
Besides the songs, she was the only reason that I could sit through Basant Bahar.
And she was the bright spot in Ujala (1959), despite Shammi Kapoor, a favorite, in the lead.
For me, her song tera jalwa jisne dekha is an evergreen number, even overshadowing the Shammi-Mala numbers. Her other number o mora nadaan baalma is a good one too.
Here are the links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVLvnK4VlGc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeNYSpnys8M
She made a successful pair with Kishore Kumar
Tera teer o beeper from Sharaarat (1959) is a nice melodious song and a pleasant watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RypoE95m2g
One correction needs to be done…
Song no. 6 Intezaar aur abhi aur abhi ( Char Dil Char Rahen) is picturized on Nimmi, not Kumkum. Actually, Nimmi plays the dancer called by the Nawab to lull him into slumber. Kumkum plays a catholic girl Stella opposite Shammi Kapoor.
Dr Deshpande,
Thanks a lot for pointing out the error. I should have also noticed it. I have removed it now.
An excellent, well-researched article – exactly what we have come to expect from Mr DP Ranagan.
I recall a film ‘Shararat’ with Kishore Kumar’s double role – one as Mina Kumari’s unsuccessful lover who takes poison as she is getting married to Raj Kumar, and the other as Raj Kumar’s younger brother. The second Kishore romances Kumkum. I recalled this song:
https://youtu.be/dSPJj475nj8
A nice collection of songs to commemorate Kumkum’s first death anniversary. She was so lively and charming, charismatic.
Anup
🙂
Dr. Deshpande
Thanks very much for your appreciation and also pointing out my faux pas. It is the first mistake among all my posts and I am quite put out. I feel I had let down blog master AKji. I request him to pardon me. Hereafter I would be doubly careful. Kum Kum shines in the two songs of Ujala which are well known from radio days.
AKji
Once again a masterly introduction as I have come to expect from you. You had nicely positioned Kum Kum. She was as good a dancer as Vijayantimala et al. She was outclassed by those in the top with as good dancing skills and looks and element of luck also count. I profusely apologise for my lapse and thanks for your corrective action.
Subodhji
Very much obliged for your note of appreciation. The song you have added is also well known. Kishore Kumar looks very ordinary before her.
Anupji
Thanks for your views. In fact I was expecting a post in your blog on this occasion.
One unusual song scene I recollect about Kumkum is from Naya Andaz (1956) where the song Tu aajare ke dil hai bequaraar where Shamshad Begum sang for her and Kishore and Rafi sang for Kishore and Johnny Walker composed by OP Nayyar!
Ranganji,
Thank you for the excellent presentation, a richly deserved tribute to the graceful artist. And a nice selection of songs too.
My first film of KumKum was Lalkar (1972), but my real introduction to the lady with expressive sparkling eyes, as I remember her, was during the Doordarshan days. As a tribute to the late actress (also a tribute to Chandrasekhar too) , let me present a Kumkum’s graceful classical dance number with sparkling expressions.
Kaanha jaa re, teri murli ki dhun sun sapno me gum sum
Baithi hai radha jiya hare hare kanha ja re
Manna Dey & Lata Mangeshkar, Tel Malish Boot Polish (1961), Prem Dhawan, Chitragupta
A wonderful composition by Chitragupt, who belonged to the same state as Kumkum.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTXqBpljqQo
A befitting tribute to a star . A great selection of songs and a good bit of statistics . There is so much about this star that I would never have known if I had not read this post . I thank DPR ji for this post.
Kumkum had come up the hard way.
I post two songs (not really her dance songs) picturised on this star though I feel the direction and camera work could have been much better.
1) ‘ Aaj chhedo mohabbat…’/ SON OF INDIA / 1962 / Shakeel Badayuni / Naushad / Lata
https://youtu.be/dNM_7vraYt8
2) ‘ Machalti hui hawa…’ / GANGA KI LEHREN / 1964 / Majrooh Sultanpuri / Chitragupt / Kishore , Lata
https://youtu.be/jjBumGEtl4M
Thanks. One of my favourites https://youtu.be/-2xsALk9nLw
Even in unusual dances, she brings grace, athleticism and abhinaya https://youtu.be/le8mn0z9En8
@Ranganji,
I published a post last year itself. Had no plans this year, also coming up with a Rafi post tomorrow.
Anup
🙂
AK ,
Namaste .
Very apt preface to a wonderful article .
I giggled reading ” Since this was not a noble activity … ”
U shud think of writing a post on songs of those hindi movie club dancers !!!
D P Rangan ji ,
Namaste .
What a gr8 tribute !!!
I liked the classification of Kum Kum’s career . I liked the selection of songs . I liked the narration about them .
Some of the songs like .. King Kong , Qawwali ki raat etc . were new for me but I njoyed them .
I wud like 2 add one from Kohinoor .
ढल चुकी शाम ए गम
Excellent dance by Kum Kum
https://youtu.be/rVKEnbS_5DI
Thnx for this post Rangan ji .
KB
I have seen the movie. It is about a song writer and singer (Kishore Kumar) working in a drama company. Johnny Walker as a harmonium player is his sidekick. In the song mentioned by you, the scne of Kum Kum dancing and these two heroes standing outside the compound and joining in the fun. It had many more good songs and O P Nayyar gave a good music.
Venkataramanji
So good of you to write such words of appreciation on my effort. It is out and out encouragement of AKji. The song you uploaded is well known and I think it is in raag Kedar.
Josephji
Thanks for appreciation of the post. Son of India was a failure and songs alone cannot uplift however good they might have been. The other song is from the film where Kum Kum was heroine opposite Kishore Kumar.
Gaddeswarup
Both the songs posted brings out her talent as a frontline dancer.
Promodji
AKji is always known for his masterly introductions. In my posts he outshines me in his brief introductory summary. He is my fidus achates.
I have no words to describe adequately my gratitude at your summation of my post. Thanks for all the writeup. Kum Kum proves her calling as a gifted terpsichorean in the movie. Another great song composted by Naushad and according to Dr. Pandey this song is based on Kamaj and Maanj Khaaj. I would request Subodhji to explain the difference between these two raags.
DP Rangan’s sojourn in dancer’s actors is very interesting and I hope he will get into other dancers actors etc. as well for example there was a very good dancer called Azuri in forties and fifties. She appeared just for a dance in Dilipkumar’s “Mela” in the Mela Fair.
There are few other as well e.g. Cuckoo, Hira. , Travancore Sisters, Shakuntala, Vasanti, Baby Naaz and many more and male dancers like Bhagwan, Mehmood, etc. Child stars to grown up is an interesting area too.Plenty of virgin land to explore.!
I would not say “The Son of India ” was a flop! Because Mehboob hyped the film by calling it “Son of India” after the success of “Mother India” and he wanted equal success. “Mother India” had entirely different quality.
The dance and song “Diya Naa Buze” was excellent in quality and also filming of it. The film made a moderate success.
It was said at the time that Kum Kum had a relationship with Mehboob and the film “Son of India” was a reward to her.
Shalan La
Pramod,
Thanks a lot for your appreciation. I think Anup has already covered it nicely. I had not thought of this theme.
Ranganji,
I enjoyed the songs that you have posted. In fact, I watched <Aar Paar just recently and I was really impressed by her song where she is so adorable even as a simple construction worker. She looked lovely dressed up as a Maharashtrian woman even in CID. Playing Johnny Walker’s love interest, she excels in the song Ai Dil Hain Mushkil Jeena Yahaan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQgguMKy5is
What an exhaustive write-up on an artist no one remembers now except film aficianados. But that is to be expected in this forum where unknows are brought into full limelight with much gusto and love. Didn’t know anthing about Kumkum and now I am familiar with her. I very much loved two songs from “Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere” with mellifluous music by Kalyanji Anandji. Thanks, once again.
Shalan Lal
Heartiest welcome to the blog. Your absence all along was quite inexplicable. Later on I understood you recovered from a bout of serious illness. Pray to God you sail forth with robust health in coming days.
You have indeed tried to impose a heavy burden on me. It is beyond my limited abilities to attempt so many biographies. The only one I can think of is the Travancore sisters, particularly late Padmini who acted in quite a few Hindi films. Her sister Ragini had limited appearances. While the middle one Lalitha was not prominent even in Tamil.
Anitaji
Thanks for your views. One of O P Nayyar’s good songs, but lifted from an English song. Had Mr. Bhatia been here, he would have easily recollected it.
Seshadriji
Thanks for views expressed, particularly in praise of this site run by our AKji. I am happy you got to know about this dancer actress. She had the disadvantage of having to compete against greats as Vaijayantimala, Hema Malini and others equally talented as dancers.
Ranganji,
One of O P Nayyar’s good songs, but lifted from an English song. The song is In a cavern https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arL3QzNBc6A&t=14s
Anitaji
Thanks for uploading original. Song Aaja Zara (Hemant Kumar) was also copy of cherry blossom apple by song. In radio days AIR Delhi used to broadcast Forces Request of popular western music
Posting a song picturised on Kumkum; not exactly a dance number; seems to be a dream sequence; initially she is in the driver’s seat with Rajendra Kumar by her side.
Yeh hawa yeh nadi ka kinara, Ghar Sansar (1958), Manna Dey and Asha Bhosle, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Ravi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrcXBcnukwg
Venkataramanji
You really struck it gold. This is a well known song and Ravi is well evident. The main hero/heroine were Balraj Sahni and Nargis. You can expect an element of seriousness. Rajendra Kumar/Kum Kum were probably supplementary jodi. I would certainly have included it in my list had I been aware of it. I also realise one cannot be everywhere at once.
I would rather classify Kumkum as an Actress who was confined to dancing roles.
https://youtu.be/KVLvnK4VlGc
Rangan ji:
Thanks for this wonderful post on Kumkum’s first death anniversary. An uncontroversial figure, she seems to have been everybody’s favourite. People from the Bhojpuri land, of course, had a special soft corner for her. Dr Deshpande @ 1 has posted one of her ‘Romancing the dunce’ songs from Ujala (‘O mora naadaan baalmaa na jaane dil ki baat’). Here is another– ‘Banwari ho hamara ke balma ganwar’ (Suman in ‘Laagi nahin chhute ram’; MD: Chitragupta):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-jVjvqxYLo
According to one comment on the video, the original version of the song was written by Raja Mahinder Misir. AKji will appreciate the connection with the famous Bhojpuri novel ‘Phulsunghi’.
Canasya,
You are right. Kumkum was a great name in the initial stage of classic Bhojpuri films. ‘Phulunghi‘ was my window to Mahinder Misir. The commenter seems to be very confident about his fact. I don’t think he was called Raja Mahinder Misir. The commenter has used it metaphorically, ‘Purvi Samrat’. But thanks a lot for highlighting this.
Vaishnavji
You are entitled to your opinion. Let me state the case as I understand. Kum Kum entrance in 1952 was purely as a dancer. The role she played in Aar Paar which brought her into prominence was also as a construction worker indulging in gyrations. In her initial set of films she had roles only as a dancer. Later on she gravitated to supplementary roles and then as a heroine. There could be hardly few films she did only acting and never danced. Dancing was an integral part to her acting. But for this skill, she would not have climbed up the ladder to success.
Canasyaji
Your words of appreciation are treasured by me. So good of you to praise in such terms this humble effort on my part. Kum Kum was a born dancer and she excelled in it. In Kohinoor it was a serious bout of dancing in the classical way. In very many films her dancing was on the lighter side. This is a nice Bhojpuri song you had uploaded. Enjoyed it with zest. She was a heroine in the said film. Came across another dancing scene from the same film.
sakhiyan saheliya ke piya albela, banari ho by Suman Kalyanpur
https://youtu.be/ZUHaMe2TIRc?t=130
Ranganji @31
A major movie that did not feature Kumkum dancing is Ankhen(1968), a successful spy thriller and one of my favorite movies of the 60s.
Kumkum had a substantial role, playing Dharmendra’s sister and a mother. The only song picturized on her did not require her to dance.
Meri sunle araj banwari (Lata – Sahir- Ravi)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QySYa46jhGk
Dr. Deshpande,
I did not rule out her film without dancing, but only scarcity of the same. Thanks for quoting such an instance from this film. A typical song from Ravi, it is an invocation and prayer to Banari and question of dancing does not arise. Thanks for your post.