Veteran Bollywood actress Kamini Kaushal has turned 97 this year. She was born on January 16, 1927, in Lahore. Throughout her film career, she has appeared in several notable films, including Do Bhai, Shaheed, Nadiya Ke Paar, Ziddi, Shabnam, Paras, Upkar, Purab Aur Paschim, and Roti, Kapda Aur Makaan.
Her performances have made a significant contribution to Indian cinema, but her personal life was full of struggles. Kamini Kaushal was actually the first girlfriend of superstar Dilip Kumar. Their romance began on the set of the 1948 film Shaheed, and they even started planning to get married. But they couldn't be together because Kamini was already married that time.
Interestingly, the man she married was her sister’s husband. Kamini’s sister had tragically passed away in a road accident, leaving behind a child. Due to family pressure, Kamini married her brother-in-law, B.S. Sood, to support the child.
Take a look at her life
Early life:
Kamini Kaushal was born in Lahore and is the youngest of two brothers and three sisters. She is the daughter of Prof. Shiv Ram Kashyap, a distinguished botanist known as the father of Indian Botany, who passed away when she was just seven. Kamini earned her B.A. (honors) in English literature from Government College in Lahore and received her first film offer from Chetan Anand in 1946 for Neecha Nagar.
In her teenage years, Kamini Kaushal mentioned in an interview, "I had no time to fool. I didn't have any crush. I was busy swimming, riding, skating and doing radio plays on Akashwani, for which I was paid Rs 10."
Married brother-in-law
After her elder sister died in a car accident, leaving behind two daughters, Kamini married her brother-in-law, B.S. Sood, in 1948. They settled in Bombay, where her husband worked as a chief engineer at the Bombay Port Trust. Her sister's daughters are Kumkum Somani, who wrote a children's book on Gandhi's philosophy, and Kavita Sahni, an artist. Kamini had three sons after 1955: Rahul, Vidur, and Shravan.
Affair with Dilip Kumar:
According to Anshula Bajpai and Trinetra Bajpai's book Dilip Kumar: Peerless Icon Inspiring Generations, Kamini Kaushal was Dilip Kumar's first love. The two stars worked together in three films: Shaheed, Shabnam, and Nadiya Ke Paar. Although Dilip never publicly acknowledged his love for Kamini, the renowned novelist Ismat Chughtai revealed that he loved her deeply.
When Kamini's brother found out that his married sister was dating Dilip Kumar, he became furious. He threatened Dilip Kumar to end his relationship with Kamini. At the same time, Kamini felt she couldn't go against her family.
In a conversation with a glamour magazine in 2014, Kamini Kaushal said, "We were both shattered. We were very happy with each other. We shared a great rapport. But what to do? That's life. I can't dump people and say 'Enough now, I'm going!' I had taken on the girls. I wouldn't be able to show my face to my sister. My husband, a fine human being, understood why it happened. Everyone falls in love."
Years later, Dilip Kumar and Kamini Kaushal met again in 2013 at the memorial service for the late actor Pran. Dilip Saab arrived with his wife Saira, and his chair was placed right next to Kamini's. At that time, Dilip Saab was 90 years old, and Kamini was 86. However, Dilip Saab did not recognise Kamini.
In a 2014 interview, Kamini Kaushal said, "When Dilip Saab gave me a blank look, my heart broke. By that time, he was having difficulty recognizing anyone. It made me very sad to see that, and I walked away."
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