Today we are going to tell you about that actress who chose bold roles in that era of simplicity and became the first actress to buy a luxury car.
In the 1950s, there was an actress from Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, who came to Mumbai and soon dominated the Hindi cinema world. In that era when actresses were known for simple style, this 23-year-old girl surprised everyone with her bold and vamp role. She was none other than Nadira of ‘Mud Mud Kar Na Dekh…’ fame, who had created a different identity among the public with just a few films. The actress was as sharp and flamboyant in real life as she appeared on the silver screen. Interestingly she was the first actress in Hindi cinema to buy a Rolls Royce, one of the most expensive cars in the world.
After Iran, Bollywood became Nadira’s new destination
Nadira was born on 5 December 1932 in a Jewish family in Baghdad. The real name of the actress was Florence Ezekiel, but she became famous as Nadira on the silver screen. When the song ‘Mud Mud Ke Na Dekh…’ came out, the actress was just 23 years old. Her beauty and elegance won over the hearts of the audience. She was also famous for her bold roles and fearless style in films, but her insistence to work with Raj Kapoor changed her forever.
How did Nadira get the name?
Nadira first appeared in the Hindi film ‘Mauj’ at the age of 10. After this, she got a break to enter the industry with the film ‘Aan’. Dilip Kumar was in the lead role opposite Nadira in this film. ‘Aan’ was directed by Mehboob Khan. He first wanted to cast Nargis in the film, but the actress was shooting for Raj Kapoor’s film ‘Awara’ at that time. In such a situation, Mehboob Khan’s eyes fell on the extremely beautiful Nadira, who was looking for work at that time. Then what, Mehboob Khan cast her in ‘Aan’. He was the one who named Florence Ezekiel as Nadira.
Played the role of a villain
‘Aan’ became a hit in theatres as soon as it was released and did great business at the box office. After this, Nadira worked in many films including ‘Waaris’, ‘Jalan’, ‘Nagma’, ‘Daak Babu’ and ‘Raftaar’, but then something happened that suddenly the actress’ career started to falter.
Nadira appeared in the role of a club dancer in ‘Shri 420’ released in 1956. She gave a brilliant performance in the film. Even Nargis paled in comparison to her, but this film proved to be fatal for Nadira. At that stage of her career, she was one of the highest-paid Indian actresses.
Salary and luxury car
It is said that when Nadira started working in films, she used to get a salary of Rs 1200. After this, her salary increased to Rs 2500. With time, as the graph of her career increased, she started charging Rs 3600. Nadira earned so much money that she lived a royal life on her own terms. She was the first actress in Bollywood to buy a Rolls Royce, which is considered to be the world’s most luxurious car.
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