The Pain And Persona Of Meena Kumari

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 1 August 2025 August 1 is Meena Kumari's birth anniversary. Had she been alive, she'd have been 92-yr-old. Alas, she passed away when she was just 38-yr-old, vindicating Daniel Dafoe's famous lines, " The best of men cannot suspend their fate/ The good die early and the bad die late." Fate played ducks and drakes with this great actress who also wrote beautiful poetry. "Taqdeer Hi Kuchh Logon Ki Aisi Hoti Hai / Aaghaaz Se Anjaam Tak Faqat Roti Hai" (Destiny of some individuals is so weird / It cries from the beginning to end). While this Urdu couplet is misattributed to Meena Kumari, it describes her life in a nutshell. Her father could not afford to pay the doctor for her delivery, so he left her at an orphanage, but he changed his mind a few hours later and took her back home. "Aansuon Mein Bah Gayee Zindagi / Kabhi Ashk Piye Toh Kabhi Sharaab Pee" (Tears swept away my life/ At times, I drank tears, at times, I consumed alcohol). Right from the beginning, she knew that despite her stupendous talents, she wasn't destined to savour it: Hans-Hans Ke Jawan Dil Ke Hum Kyon Na Chunein Tukde/ Har Shakhs Ki Qismat Mein Inaam Nahin Hota (Why shouldn't I gather the pieces of a young heart / Not every person is destined to be lucky). Yes, she was distinctly unlucky who never got true love, family and friends, though she certainly got recognition as a 'Tragedy Queen' and was a male equivalent of the legendary thespian Dilip Kumar. Film critic Iqbal Masood wrote about Meena Kumari after her death on March 31, 1972: "There's no denying the fact that Mahjabeen Bano alias Meena Kumari suffered a lot throughout her life but it was her extreme sensitivity that added to her woes: Khuda Ke Fazl Se Tu Deedawar Nahin Varna/ Har Ek Phool Pe Tujhe Zakhm Ka Gumaan Hota (Good that you ain't so sensitive/ Otherwise, you'd have looked at every flower with sadness and suspicion). What other actors and her coevals ignored, she took to heart and felt sad and unhappy. "Hassaas Dil Kisi Bad-Dua Se Kam Nahin/ Kambakht Ne Kabhi Theek Se Hansne Na Diya (Having a sensitive heart is actually a curse/ It has never allowed me to laugh heartily). Meena Kumari indeed could never laugh heartily. If you look at her pics, her smile is tinged with sadness. Har Naye Zakhm Par Ab Rooh Bilakh Uth-Ti Hai/ Honth Agar Hans Bhi Padein, Aankh Chhalak Uth-Ti Hai (The soul cries at every new wound / Even when lips smile, tears well up in the eyes). What P B Shelley stated in his poem, 'To a Skylark' can be said about Meena Kumari: Our sincerest laughter with some pain is fraught / Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought......"Hain Sab Se Madhur Woh Geet Jinhein Hum Dard Ke Sur Mein Gaate Hain. " Pain was her constant companion, so much so that she was finally in love with it: Dard Dil Mein Hi Rah Jaaye Toh Dost Ban Jaata Hai (When pain resides in heart permanently, it becomes a friend). Pessimism, when you get used to it, is just as agreeable as optimism. Writing was cathartic to her: Likhti Hoon Isliye Zinda Hoon (I write, therefore, I'm alive). It was like Rene Descartes' Cogito, ergo sum (I think, therefore I'm). An actress par excellence, Filmfare included Kumari's performances in Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam and Pakeezah in its list of Bollywood's "80 Iconic Performances". Two of her films, namely Baiju Bawra and Do Bigha Zameen, have been considered among the greatest films in a poll by the British Film Institute. On the occasion of the centenary of Indian cinema, in a poll conducted by News18her films Pakeezah, Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam and Do Bigha Zameen featured in the list of 100 best films ever made. She was featured in Box Office India's "Top Actresses" list from 1952 to 1961. Various publications including Hindustan Times mentioned her among the topmost sex symbols of Bollywood. She was an effortless actress who never appeared to be acting! Life was a stage for her. So, she didn't emote differently or artificially on the marquee. Her aura, persona, superlative acting and classic beauty will remain intact forever. ----- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URl: https://www.newageislam.com/current-affairs/pain-persona-meena-kumari/d/136369 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism