Nirupa Roy

Nirupa Roy (born Kokila Kishorechandra Bulsara; 4 January 1931 – 13 October 2004)^[1] was an Indian actress who primarily worked in Hindi films. She was mainly known for playing motherly roles and was dubbed the "Queen of Misery" in Hindi film circles due to her portrayals of tragedy and sorrow.^[2][3] Roy was active from 1946 to 1999, appeared in over 250 films, and won three Filmfare Awards throughout her career, and was nominated a total of 4 times. In 2004, Roy received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award.

Not much is known about Roy's early life and childhood, because she rarely mentioned it. Roy was born as Kokila Kishorechandra Bulsara in the village of Kalwada, Bulsar District (now Valsad, Gujarat). As a child, her family would call her 'Chibi.' She married Kamal Roy at the age of 15 and moved to Mumbai. Soon after, she entered the film industry using her married name, Nirupa Roy.

In 1946, Roy and her husband responded to an advertisement in a Gujarati paper looking for actors. She was selected and started her acting career with the Gujarati film Ranakdevi (1946). She then acted in her first Hindi film, Amar Raj (1946), in the same year.^[4]

Her most popular films include Do Bigha Zamin (1953), Deewar (1975), Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978), and Amar Akbar Anthony (1979).^[5][6] She initially rose to fame by playing characters in historical and mythological films of the 1940s and 50s. Her film Har Har Mahadev in 1950 became a blockbuster hit, where she played the role of Parvati Devi opposite Trilok Kapoor who played the role of Shiva. Her image of a goddess was so strong that people would visit her home and seek her blessings.

She frequently co-starred with actors such as Trilok Kapoor (with whom she played in eighteen movies), Bharat Bhushan, Balraj Sahni, and Ashok Kumar.^[7]

In the 1970s, her role as mother to the characters played by Amitabh Bachchan and Shashi Kapoor made her name synonymous to the impoverished, suffering mother. Her role in Deewaar (1975), especially the iconic dialogue "Mere paas maa hai," became a cultural touchstone and is still cited today.^[4]

She had two children with her husband, Kamal, named Yogesh and Kiran Roy.^[8] In the years following her death, they engaged into a dispute over Roy's property and belongings, which has received much attention in the news and media.^[9][10]

On 13 October 2004, Roy suffered a cardiac arrest in Mumbai, and died at the age of 73.^[11]

Several tributes and articles have been made in Roy's memory.^[12] Her dialogues from the film Deewaar became iconic,^[13] and her acting in the film along with her other notable films, is considered to be a landmark in Hindi cinema.^[14]

• All films in this list are Hindi unless otherwise indicated

• Nirupa Roy at IMDb
• Nirupa Roy at Bollywood Hungama
• Obituary from rediff.com