Veena (actress)

Veena (actress) Biography

Veena was one of the earliest actresses of Hindi cinema. She was a popular actress of Bollywood in the 1940's, who made her debut with the film 'Garib' in 1942. She was known by the screen names - 'Veena' and 'Veena Kumari'. Her real name was 'Tajour Sultana'. She has also acted in Punjabi movies like 'Gawandhi' (1942). Phool (1945), 'Najma'(1943), Humayun (1945) and Rajputani (1946) are some of her popular roles. She earned instant recognition after playing lead role opposite Ashok Kumar in Najma' (1943). Later she moved on to character roles and was associated with Bollywood till early 1980s. She last appeared in Razia Sultan. Halaku, Chalti Ka naam Gaadi, Kagaz Ka Phool, Taj Mahal and Pakeezah are a few among those classic Bollywood movies in which Veena portrayed supporting roles. She died in Mumbai on 14 Nov 2004.

She was born on 4 July 1926 in Quetta, Baluchistan (present day Pakistan). Her real name was Tajour Sultana. Her family later shifted to Lahore’s Chuna Mandi, where she started her film career in the early 1940s. Punjabi film - Gawandhi (1942) opposite Shyam was her debut movie and the movie was made in Lahore. The movie was an instant hit, which included the popular song, Pagdi sambhal jatta. Very soon she got more offers and throughout 1940s she remained a popular heroine.

In 1943 she shifted to Mumbai to work in Bollywood. Mehboob Khan’s Najma (1943), Humayun (1945) and K. Asif’s Phool (1945) are her early hits in Bollywood. She played a sexually repressed woman in Dastaan (1950) and the grey shaded adulterous wife in 1951 movie, Afsana. Both these movies were commercial hits. Later she moved towards character roles. She portrayed Empress Shah Turkhan in her last movie, Razia Sultan (1981).

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Updated: June 26, 2014