The Eyes Have it

Divas whose souls lit up the screen like flickering diyas...

- RAJEEV MASAND

Nutan

Her delicate face, half-hidden in the folds of her saree, turned away as her lover walks away—Nutan was eternal in the eponymous role in Sujata (1959), a woman struggling for identity against a brutal caste system. The role that defined her as an actress; we saw her vulnerability, the quiet ache of a girl seeking acceptance. She mined that delicate vein of silver in Seema (1955) and Bandini (1963), but there was also playfulness in Tere Ghar Ke Samne (1863), as she skipped down the Qutub Minar’s steps with Dev Anand, singing about the hum in their hearts. That blend of softness and steel flowed into a variety of roles over four decades, that unforgettable sweetness of her smile lighting up the screen even amidst the greys of life.

Smita Patil