REMEMBERING KAMINI KAUSHAL

Kamini Kaushal passed away recently at 98. She was the first person to grace the cover of Filmfare.

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In the long, evolving history of Indian cinema, very few stars have travelled with the industry from its moment of innocence to its age of global assertion.

Kamini Kaushal, who passed away after a luminous life that spanned nearly a century, belonged to that rare constellation. She was not merely an actress of her era; she was a storyteller, a cultural bridge, and an enduring reminder of what sincerity in artistry can look like. With her gentle demeanour, intelligent eyes and quietly powerful performances, she became one of the most respected figures of Hindi cinema's post-Independence generation.

Born Uma Kashyap on February 24, 1927 in Lahore, she grew up in an intellectually vibrant family. Her father, Professor Shiv Ram Kashyap, was among the foremost botanists of his time, and the atmosphere at home was one of academic rigour blended with artistic curiosity.

Even as a schoolgirl, she was drawn to performance, doing radio plays, cycling across Lahore, swimming, skating, embracing life with a sense of adventure. That spontaneity caught the attention of filmmaker Chetan Anand, who rechristened her Kamini Kaushal and cast her in Neecha Nagar (1946), the film that would introduce her to the world. Kamini was one of the first well educated heroines having done BA in English from Lahore University. Later, she learnt Bharatnatyam at Mumbai's Sri Rajarajeswari Bharata Natya Kala Mandir.