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Nadira
Nadira
	Nadira in Shree 420 (1955)
Born	Florence Ezekiel; 5 December 1932; Baghdad, Kingdom of Iraq (present-day Iraq)
Died	9 February 2006 (aged 73); Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Nationality	Indian
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1952–2001
Awards	Filmfare Award in 1976

Nadira (born Florence Ezekiel; 5 December 1932 – 9 February 2006), was an Indian actress who worked in the Hindi film industry. She appeared in films from the 1950s and 1960s, including Aan (1952), Shree 420 (1955), Pakeezah (1972), and Julie (1975), which won her the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award.^[1]^[2]

Early life

Nadira was born on 5 December 1932 in Baghdad, Iraq, into a Baghdadi Jewish family.^[1] When she was an infant, her family migrated from Baghdad to Bombay in search of business opportunities.^[3] She had two brothers, one of whom lives in the United States and another in Israel.^[4]

Career

Nadira's first appearance in cinema was in the 1943 Hindi-language film Mauj when she was 10 or 11 years of age.^[3]

Her breakthrough came from Sardar Akhtar, wife of film director Mehboob Khan who cast her in the film Aan (1952). Her role as a Rajput princess in the film marked her rise to cinematic prominence.^[2]^[5]^[1] In 1955, she played a rich socialite named Maya in Shree 420.^[1]^[2] She played pivotal roles in a number of films such as Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai (1960), Pakeezah (1972), Hanste Zakhm (1973), and Amar Akbar Anthony (1977). She was often cast as a temptress or vamp, roles which were used as a foil to the chaste leading lady characters that were favoured at the time by the Hindi film industry.^[2]

Nadira won a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress, for her role in the 1975 film Julie.^[2] During the 1980s and 1990s, she mostly played supporting characters. Due to her image as a Westernized woman, she often played roles of Christian or Anglo-Indian ladies. Her last role was in the film Josh (2000).

She was among the highest-paid actresses during her career, and was one of the first Indian actresses to own a Rolls-Royce.^[2]

Personal life

In her later years, Nadira lived alone in Mumbai, India, as many of her relatives had moved to Israel. In the last three years before her death, she had been residing in her condominium with only a housekeeper. On 24 January 2006, she suffered a cardiac arrest and was admitted to a hospital in a semi-comatose state. She had multiple existing health problems, including tubercular meningitis, alcoholic liver disorder, and paralysis.^[2]^[5]

She died on 9 February 2006, aged 73, at the Bhatia Hospital in Tardeo, Mumbai, following a prolonged illness.^[1]^[2]^[5]

Filmography

Films
Year	Title	Role	Notes
2001	Zohra Mahal	Zohra Mahal
2000	Josh^[5]	Lady D'Costa
1999	Cotton Mary^[2]	Mattie
1997	Tamanna^[2]^[5]	Nazneen Begum
1992	Godfather
1992	Mehbooba
1991	Jhoothi Shaan	Ranimaa
1991	Hassan Da Chor
1991	Laila
1988	Maula Baksh
1985	Saagar^[2]^[5]	Miss Joseph
1984	Kim (TV serial)	Widow of Kulu
1982	Raaste Pyar Ke
1982	Ashanti	School principal
1981	Dahshat	Mrs. Vishal
1981	Aas Paas
1980	Chaal Baaz^[2]
1980	Swayamvar	Durgadevi Bhargav
1979	Duniya Meri Jeb Mein
1979	Bin Phere Hum Tere
1979	Magroor	Mrs. Disa
1978	Naukri	Lily
1977	Aap Ki Khatir
1977	Aashiq Hoon Baharon Ka	Heera (Jamundas' wife)
1977	Amar Akbar Anthony	uncredited cameo
1977	Darling Darling
1977	Paapi	Old lady hit by Vikram's car
1976	Bhanwar	Sharda Devi
1975	Dharmatma
1975	Julie^[2]^[5]	Margaret 'Maggie' (Julie's Mom)	Won Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1976
1975	Kahte Hain Mujhko Raja
1975	Mere Sartaj
1974	Faslah
1974	Ishq Ishq Ishq
1974	Woh Main Nahin
1973	Ek Nari Do Roop
1973	Hanste Zakhm
1973	Pyaar Ka Rishta
1972	Ek Nazar	Aminabai
1972	Raja Jani
1971	Kahin Aar Kahin Paar
1972	Anokha Daan
1972	Pakeezah^[2]^[5]	Madame Gauhar Jaan
1970	Bombay Talkie	Anjana Devi
1970	Chetna	Nirmala
1970	Ek Nanhi Munni Ladki Thi
1970	Ishq Par Zor Nahin	Mrs. Doraiswamy
1970	Safar	Mrs. Kapoor (Shekhar's mother)
1969	The Guru	Courtesan
1969	Insaaf Ka Mandir
1969	Jahan Pyar Mile
1969	Talash	Flirtatious lady in red sari
1968	Kahin Din Kahin Raat	Mrs.Indrani
1968	Sapnon Ka Saudagar	Ranjana's mother
1963	Meri Surat Teri Ankhen
1965	Chhoti Chhoti Baatein	Shanta
1965	Accident
1960	Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai^[2]	Mrs. Kusum Sushil Verma
1960	Kala Bazar	Herself
1958	Police
1956	Beloved Corinna
1956	Pocket Maar
1956	Samundari Daku
1956	Sipahsalar
1956	Shree 420^[1]^[2]^[5]	Maya
1955	Jalan
1955	Raftar
1954	Dak Babu
1954	Waris	Kanta
1953	Nagma
1952	Aan^[1]^[5]	Princess Rajshree
1943	Mauj	uncredited child

Television
Year	Title	Role
1997	Margarita	Nacha
1995	Ek Tha Rusty (Season 1)	Ms. Mackenzie

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "Nadira, Who Played the Vamp in Bollywood, Is Dead". The New York Times. Agence France-Presse. 10 February 2006. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p "Veteran actress Nadira passes away". MidDay.com website. 31 January 2006. Archived from the original on 20 February 2006. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
^ ^a ^b Singh, Kuldip (2 April 2009). "Nadira". The Independent. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
^ "Jewish Stars of Bollywood" Haaretz (newspaper), Published 14 April 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2021
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Priyanka Jain (16 January 2006). "Nadira: A woman ahead of her time". Rediff.com. Retrieved 9 January 2021.