Mehtab was a popular Indian actress of Hindi/Urdu films who
worked from 1928-1969.
She was born as Najma Khan on April 28, 1918 in Sachin,
Gujarat, India.
Starting her career in the late 1920s with small roles in
films like Second Wife (1928), Indira B. A. (1929), and Jayant (1929), Mehtab
acted in her early feature film Kamaal-e-Shamsheer (1930) with W. M. Khan,
which was produced by her mother under Excelsior Film Company. Her other films
at this time include Hamara Hindustan (1930) a silent film which starred Ruby
Myers, Jal Merchant and Mazhar Khan. She went on to act in several films mainly
in action roles produced by the Sharda Film Company under different directors. Finally
in 1932, she acted under the banner of Indian Art Productions as the main
female lead in Veer Kunal opposite Ashraf Khan, an actor she was to marry and
then divorce. She continued to work under different banners including Chandulal
Shah for Ranjit Movietone in Bhola Shika (1933) directed by Jayant Desai with
E. Billimoria as hero, and Ranchandi directed by Babubhai Jani opposite Navin
Chandra. She also acted in a couple of films directed by Jaddanbai like Moti Ka
Haar and Jeevan Swapna, both in 1937.
Following the birth of her son, and subsequent divorce from
Ashraf Khan, Mehtab acted in the Film Corporation of India film Qaidi (1940),
which had Ramola, Madhuri, Wasti and Nandrekar co-starring along with her.
Though not the main role, she was however noticed in the film leading to her
being cast by Kidar Sharma for Chitralekha (1941), which had the famous bathing
scene with Mehtab in the pool sans clothes. Chitralekha was also the debut of actor Bharat
Bhushan, though in a small role. Mehtab was cast in Sharda (1942), along with
Wasti, Ulhas and Nirmala Devi by A. R. Kardar for his Kardar Productions. The
film is famous for the thirteen-year-old Suraiya, who became famous giving
playback singing for a much older Mehtab. 1943 saw her acting in two more
Kardar directed films; Kanoon with Shahu Modak, Nirmala Devi and Jagirdar and
Sanjog a comedy film opposite Noor Mohammed Charlie, Wasti and Ulhas. The same
year she did a Wadia Productions film directed by Homi Wadia, Vishwas (1943),
which also starred Surendra, and Trilok Kapoor with composer Firoz Nizami debuting
as the music director.
In 1944 Sohrab Modi cast Mehtab in the Central Studio
production Parakh. Mehtab recalled in an interview that it was while shooting
for this film that the two had grown closer.Modi did not act in the film which
starred Mehtab with Yakub and Balwant Singh. Parakh had music by Khursheed
Anwar and Saraswati Devi. Mehtab acted in films like Ismat (1944), Ek Din Ka
Sultan (1945), Saathi (1946) and Shama (1946). In 1953, Modi produced, directed
and acted in Jhansi Ki Rani, which starred a now ageing Mehtab as the young
Jhansi Ki Rani. The film was a big financial disaster and the last starring
role of Mehtab. Mehtab acted in Modi's Samay Bada Balwan (1969) in a character
role.
Mehtab, a Muslim,
married Sohrab Modi, a Parsi, on 28 April 1946, her birthday. According to
Mehtab, the marriage was not approved of by Modi's family. This was Mehtab's
second marriage and she had an eight-year-old son Ismail, from the previous
marriage to her first co-star Ashraf Khan. Her condition for marrying Modi was
that her son, Ismail, stay with them. Modi talked the situation over with her
ex-husband, regarding Ismail, who then lived with Mehtab and Modi following
their marriage. Modi was twenty years older at 46 years and had just finished
his relationship with Naseem Banu. Mehtab and Modi had one child together
called Mehelli who they brought up as a Parsi. Sohrab Modi died on 28 January
1984, at the age of 85 years. Mehtab died on 10 April 1997 in Mumbai,
Maharashtra and was buried at the Bada Qabrastan, Marine Lines, Mumbai.
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