This star was called ugly child, filed case against mother, slapped Sanjeev Kumar; her husband was burnt alive at...

Nutan Samarth Bahl was a renowned Indian actress in Hindi cinema. Over her nearly forty-year career, she appeared in more than 80 films and won a record five Filmfare Awards for Best Actress. In 1974, she was honored with the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award.

It was alleged that Nutan filed a case against her mother, Shobhana, for mismanaging her funds. As a result, there was no communication between Nutan and the Samarth family for nearly two decades. In an interview with fashion photographer Gautam Rajadhyaksha, she explained the reasons behind her decision to take legal action against her mother, stating, "It was a very hard decision for me to take. Yes, I had expected the reaction, ‘How can a daughter take her mother to the court?’ But that didn’t make the conflict any easier to bear. Yet, I had to do it to protect the future of everyone concerned.”

Nutan had two sisters, Tanuja and Chatura, and a brother named Jaideep. Her parents separated before Jaideep was born. Her nieces, Kajol and Tanishaa Mukerji, followed in her footsteps, with Kajol later equaling Nutan's record for the most Filmfare Best Actress wins.

Despite being married to Naval Lt Commander Rajnish Bahl since 1959, rumors of an affair began to circulate. While filming Devi, Nutan famously slapped Sanjeev after reading about their supposed relationship in a magazine, allegedly at her husband's urging.

Later, in an interview, Nutan said, "My slapping Sanjeev Kumar became a much-talked about incident. He made a very careless, irresponsible statement about having an affair. That made me furious… I had to put him in his place. After I said what I had to, I cooled down and said, ‘let’s finish the love scene’."

Nutan was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1990. In February 1991, she was admitted to Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai after falling ill while filming Garajna and Insaniyat. She passed away on February 21, 1991, at 12:07 p.m. (IST).

Nutan married Indian Navy Lieutenant Commander Rajnish Bahl on October 11, 1959, and they had one son, Mohnish, who is now a well-known television and film actor. Tragically, her husband passed away in a fire accident in his apartment in 2004.