Probashi- Cover Story
Probashi- Cover Story
The Tragedy of the Fallen Stars
The Tragedy of the Fallen Stars
In Hindi movies the ending always has to be perfect‐ the good triumphs over evil , the long lost brothers meet , the lovers unite and of course the police arrive in nick of time to take the villain to jail . The audience clap , the box office looks healthy and the starss take home heavy pay packets . But it is not always that the ending is perfect in bollywood . One such imperfect ending is of the film stars whose names which once moved million of fans across India
, suddenly become dismal flops and remain forgotten destined to the fringes of the film industry living in poverty and penury . These stars are victims of fate , their own reckless behaviour , lack of foresight and the ruthless industry where there is no place for those who do not ensure commercial success . Let us look at some such stars who once ruled the screen but their end was not perfect‐ poor , lonely , destitute and left to live with only faint memories of their stardom as company .
Her gorgeous looks inspired the
lyricist Sahir to write one of Hindi cinema ’ s most memorable ode to a woman ’ s beauty ‐ ‘ Kisi pathaar ki murat se , mohabbat ka irrada hai , parastish ki tamana hai , ibadat ka irrada hai .’
The woman who inspired these lines was Vimi ( 1947‐ 1977 ), the Hindi film actress , who for a brief period in late sixties and early seventies was a ruling star of bollywood . Fame and glamour was soon to desert her and she died in her early thirties , a poor and helpless woman . The script of her life had gone horribly wrong . Born in a conservative Mumbai based Punjabi family , Vimi was a regular on All India Radio during her student days . She married Shiv Aggarwal scion of the multimillionare Amirchand Pyarelal family and shifted to Kolkata . With two children, a doting husband and high social status , life seemed kind to Vimi . A meeting with the music composer Ravi in Kolkata brought the couple to Mumbai where BR Chopra transfixed by Vimi ’ s beauty signed her for the super hit film Humraaz ( 1968 ) and overnight Vimi was transformed into a star . While professional success was coming , the homefront for Vimi took a nosedive . Her parents ’ disapproved of her joining films and her inlaws disinherited her husband from the family business . The earning from her film career was now the mainstay for the family . With Humraaz a hit , producers qued up at her door and she started
Vimi the super star after Humraaz : script however went wrong commanding a staggering Rs . 3 Lakhs as fees . Though extremely photogenic with immense screen presence , Vimi lacked acting skills . Her somewhat wooden expression didnot go well with the audience and her subsequent movies started to flop . Unfortunately Vimi kept faith in her looks and never tried to polish her acting abilities
. If this was not enough , her husband by now an alcoholic would interfere in her career displeasing many big producers with unreasonable conditions . Despite these drawbacks her co‐stars recollect her to be soft spoken , punctual and hardworking . A clutch of movies came with her in the lead , but sank at the box office . With money flowing short , the couple shifted from their swanky residence at Juhu to a more modest locality . Desperate for money , her husband started to push her into the arms of dubious producers to which Vimi protested only to be beaten and
abused by her husband . At this time Vimi met a small time producer named Jolly who promised to make a film with her in the lead . Vimi saw in Jolly her last hope to resurrect her career . With her husband hopelessly alchoholic and abusive , she started living in with Jolly However Jolly ’ s promised movie never happened and Vimi ’ s dream of seeing herself again as a heroine was shattered . Vimi found solace in countrymade liquor , the only variety she could afford . Heavy drinking and emotional turmoil took its toll on Vimi . In her last years economically ruined she would allow herself to be exploited by men for earning a livelihood . Vimi once the most beautiful face in Hindi films died on August 22 , 1977 after spending a few days in the general ward of the Nanavati Hospital . Heavy drinking was reported to be the cause . She was in her early thirties . Her dead body was wrapped in a soiled dhoti