Waheeda Rehman: From ‘CID’ to ‘Skater Girl’, Indian cinema’s enduring star who wanted to be a doctor

New Delhi, September 26

She wanted to be a doctor but ended up on the silver screen instead, an actor who began with Telugu cinema and went on to rule the Hindi film industry, slipping in and out of arthouse and mainstream cinema and staying relevant as movies evolved from black-and-white to colour.

Waheeda Rehman, who was on Tuesday named recipient of the 2021 Dadasaheb Phalke award, the government’s highest honour in cinema, acted in over 90 films over almost seven decades. In a career arc made for celluloid history, Rehman made her debut in Hindi films as a character artiste in the 1956 film “CID”, moved on to lead roles and returned to cameos in her later years.

What has stood out over the years has been the apparent ease and the grace with which she did it all. She comfortably straddled the twin worlds of the brooding “Kaagaz ke Phool” and the entertaining “Ram aur Shyam”. Rehman, now 85, was last seen just two years ago in the sports drama “Skater Girl”.

Born in Chennai to a Deccani Muslim family, Rehman never aspired to be an actor but knew she wanted to make people “laugh and cry”.

“I wanted to become a doctor, because in those days for Muslim families medicine was the only respectable profession,” the actor recalled in a Tweak India interview two years ago.

Art, culture and dance interested her since she was a child. And with the support of her father, an IAS officer, she was able to pursue her dream of learning Bharatanatyam and then making a career in the movies.

“I used to make faces looking in the mirror. When my father asked why do I do this, I said ‘I want to make people laugh and cry’,” she said in the interview.

She was first seen in the movies in the 1955 Telugu films “Rojulu Maraayi” and “Jayasimha”. A chance meeting with Guru Dutt in Hyderabad that same year changed the course of her career – and her life.

She moved to Mumbai, then Bombay, and was launched in Dutt’s film “CID”, alongside Dev Anand in 1956. Rehman played the role of the antagonist, a dancer.

It was the beginning of a memorable creative partnership with Dutt, their collaboration resulting in some of Indian cinema’s finest films—“Pyaasa”, “Kaagaz Ke Phool”, “Chaudhvin Ka Chand” and “Saheb Bibi Aur Ghulam”.

The Dev Anand and Rehman collaboration was also special. Their most successful film was perhaps “Guide”, remembered today for its forward looking portrayal of the protagonist Rosie, her modern-day relationship with the guide Raju and the songs by S D Burman.

“I’m very happy and doubly happy because it is Dev Anand’s birthday. I think, ‘taufa unko milna tha, mujhe mil gaya’,” Rehman told PTI after getting news of the Dadasaheb Phalke award.

“It is very wonderful that his celebration is going on and I get this honour. I’m really happy and grateful to the government that they chose me for this honour. So it is a combination and celebration of this and Dev sahab’s 100th birth anniversary,” she said.

Rehman also ventured into Bengali cinema with Satyajit Ray’s “Abhijan” and became one of the highest paid women actors in the 1950s and 1960s, starring in diverse roles in films such as “Kohraa”, “Bees Saal Baad”, “Khamoshi”, and “Guide”, all of which have stood the test of time.

“I never compromised with costumes. I need to feel comfortable when I’m performing. In my first Hindi movie ‘CID’ I had mentioned in the contract that if I don’t like the costume I will not wear it,” she told Tweak India.

“CID” director Raj Khosla had also suggested that the actor change her name as it was “too long”, but she refused outright.

In the 1970s, she shifted gears and took up more character roles. For 1971’s “Reshma Aur Shera”, she received a National Film Award for best actress.

At the peak of her career, she married her “Son of India” co-star Shashi Rekhi.

Nobody saw this coming, not even perhaps Rehman.

“We had a common friend Yash Johar. He (Shashi) used to stay at their place and I was very close friends with Yash. So we used to meet often. One day, we were having coffee and suddenly out of the blue he said, ‘I want to marry you. Will you marry me?’ “I said, ‘It is too sudden and I will take some time to think.’ After three-four days, Yash called and said ‘Malik, give the answer quickly otherwise he will kill me and Hiroo (Johar).’ He was a nice, decent and good-looking Punjabi man. I said okay… He was a easy man, no problem. I learned cooking from him mostly,” she recalled.

They have two children—daughter Kashvi and son Sohail.

The career continued, almost uninterrupted.

After marriage, came several roles, including opposite Amitabh Bachchan in “Kabhi Kabhie” in 1976. And just two years later, she played mother to Bachchan in “Trishul” and again in 1982 film “Namak Halaal”.

But the variety was missing, prompting her to move to Bengaluru to lead a quieter life with family.

“I started doing character roles.. And in India characters roles are mostly of a mother or a sister. And even the dialogues are at times same. ‘Beta tum mil gaye, acche bano’. There was a certain kind of staleness. It’s not inspiring,” she said in the Tweak India interview.

Filmmaker Yash Chopra remained in touch with Rehman during her time away from Mumbai, and cast her in pivotal roles in 1980-1990s hits such as “Mashaal”, “Lamhe” and “Chandni”.

In the 2000s, she appeared in “Om Jai Jagdish”, “Rang De Basanti”, “Delhi-6” and “The Song of Scorpions”.

As she grows older, Rehman is also evidence that there is life beyond just the movies and the zest is what keeps you going.

She continues to go on vacation and dinners with her close friends—Asha Parekh and Helen.

“We went to Turkey. We went on a cruise to Scandinavian countries. We understand and trust each other,” Rehman told the online channel, adding that she would love to go for scuba diving someday.

“I’m a happy person, and I naturally see beautiful things first and be happy about it. I’m content,” she said.

Rehman is also associated with bringing to life some of Hindi films most popular songs—“Kahin pe nigahen, kahin pe nishana” (“CID”), “Aaj phir jeena ki tamanna hai” and “Piya tose naina lage re” (“Guide”), “Luka chhuppi” (“Rang De Basanti” and “Genda phool” (“Delhi-6”).