Waheeda Rehman: All About The Veteran Actress!

Waheeda Rehman is a legendary Indian actress who worked predominantly in Hindi films. In her career spanning over five decades from the ’50s to the 2000s, she acted in more than 90 feature films. Waheeda made her entry into the industry by playing a dance number in ‘Rojulu Maraayi’, a Telugu film released in 1955.

However, she rose to fame after acting in director Guru Dutt’s films such as Pyaasa, Kaagaz Ke Phool, and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam. A recipient of several coveted awards such as Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and National Film Award, Waheeda will be honored with the Dadasaheb Phalke Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023.

Waheeda Rehman Physical Stats

Waheeda Rehman Family

Waheeda was born on February 3, 1938, in a Deccani Muslim family. The actress’s father  Mohammed Abdur Rehman was an IAS officer and her mother’s name was Mumtaz Begum. Waheeda was the youngest daughter of her parents and she had three elder sisters.

Waheeda Rehman Relationships

Rumors were abuzz that Waheeda was in a relationship with director Guru Dutt. However, Guru was already married and his love for the actress led to troubles in his married life. Later, in April 1974, Waheeda got married to actor Shashi Rekhi, her co-star in the film Shagoon. The couple had two sons, Sohail and Kashvi and both of them are writers. On 21 November 2000, Shashi Rekhi passed away.

Waheeda Rehman Education

Waheeda did her schooling at St. Joseph’s Convent in Visakhapatnam as her father was posted there as a District commissioner.

Waheeda Rehman Controversies

On the set of the film ‘Solva Saal’, Waheeda had an argument with its director Raj Khosla. The director turned very angry and said that it would be her last movie. Later, Waheeda got an offer to act in the film ‘Guide’, which was supposed to be directed by Raj Khosla. On hearing the name of the director, she refused to act in that movie. However, with the turn of events, ‘Guide’ was directed by Vijay Anand and Waheeda played the lead role in that movie.

Waheeda Rehman Profession

During her childhood days, Waheed was trained in Bharatanatyam. In 1951, when she was just thirteen years old, her father passed away. Thus, Waheeda, who wanted to become a doctor, started accepting film offers to support her family financially. In 1955, she made her acting debut with a dance number in ‘Rojulu Maraayi’, a Telugu film. It was followed by the movies Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum’, ‘Jayasimha’ and ‘Kaalam Maari Pochu’.

The turning point in Waheeda’s career was meeting actor-director Guru Dutt. It paved the way to appear in the film ‘CID’, produced by Guru and directed by Raj Khosla. Impressed by Waheeda’s performance, Guru cast her in several films such as “Pyaasa”, “Kaagaz Ke Phool”, “Chaudhvin Ka Chand” and “Saheb Bibi Aur Ghulam” which turned out to be superhits.

The 1965 romantic film ‘Guide’ starring Dev Anand fetched Waheeda her first Filmfare Award for Best Actress. Later, she went on to act with top actors in the industry such as Raj Kapoor in ‘Teesri Kasam’, Dilip Kumar in ‘Ram Aur Shyam’, Manoj Kumar in ‘Neel Kamal’,  Rajesh Khanna and Dharmendra in ‘Khamoshi’ and Amitabh Bachchan in ‘Adalat’ and ‘Trishul’.

After acting in the 1991 film ‘Lamhe’, Waheeda stayed away from the industry for 11 years. However, she made a comeback with the 2002 film ‘Om Jai Jagadish’. It was followed by movies such as Water, 15 Park Avenue, Rang De Basanti, and Delhi 6.

Nowadays, Waheeda is busy with social work. She endorses ‘ Rang De’,  an NGO that provides loans to poor women to start business ventures.

Waheeda Rehman Source Of Income

Waheeda’s main source of income was from acting in films. Reportedly, the actress’s net worth stands at $10 million.

Lesser Known Facts About Waheeda Rehman

• When she was a kid, Waheeda used to stand in front of the mirror and make faces. On seeing that, her father once asked Waheeda why she was doing so too. The little girl replied that she wanted to make people laugh and cry. Years later, Waheeda said in an interview that back then even she didn’t know that she wanted to act.

• Waheeda’s hair started greying at an early age and she used to dye her hair every ten days. During the time her husband fell sick, Waheeda once forgot to dye her hair. On seeing her in grey hair, actresses Helen, Sadhna, and Nanda were shocked.

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