A new English-language book that provides a rare glimpse of the life and career of Waheeda Rehman, the 77-year-old National Award-winning Indian actress, is out now.
Conversations with Waheeda Rehman is written by Nasreen Munni Kabir, a documentary filmmaker and the author of books on other Bollywood celebrities, including the Indian cinema legend Guru Dutt, the Oscar-winning Indian musician A R Rahman, and India’s “nightingale”, the veteran playback singer Lata Mangeshkar. The glossy book offers first-person accounts from the actress – delivered with both humour and refreshing honesty – on a variety of subjects, including the devastating loss of her parents when she was a young girl; carving a niche in Indian cinema on her own terms; working with stars such as Raj Kapoor; and her friendship with her contemporaries, including Nargis and Nanda.
Rahman began her career in Bollywood in 1956 with a small but impressive role in CID, starring Dev Anand and Shakila, and later bagged lead roles in several blockbusters, including Pyasa (1957), Solva Saal (1958), Kagaz Ke Phool (1959), Kala Bazar (1960), Chaudhvin Ka Chand, Bees Saal Baad (1962), Reshma Aur Shera (1972) and the Bollywood classic Guide (1965).
Her recent work includes the National Award-winning drama Rang De Basanti (2006), co-produced by and starring Aamir Khan, and Delhi-6 (2009), a comedy-satire starring Abshishek Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor.
Conversations with Waheeda Rehman (Penguin) is available on Amazon.com.
