From Rajesh Khanna's sister to Sridevi's voice, know the unheard journey of Kumari Naaz

Mumbai, October 18 (IANS). There are some names in the world of Bollywood, whose brilliance is visible on screen, but the real struggle and their extraordinary talent is often covered in dust. One of those names is Kumari Naaz, who was known to people as ‘Baba Naaz’ in her childhood. She started acting at a very young age and won the hearts of the entire nation with her innocent acting. As lovely as her smile was on screen, her life behind the screen was equally difficult. At one time, he not only earned name as a child artist, but even after growing up, he played many memorable roles. Very few people know that she also became the voice of superstar Sridevi in ​​Hindi films in the 1980s. Kumari Naz was born on August 20, 1944 in Mumbai. Her family was very poor, and because of this financial crisis, she started shooting in the studio at the age of four. He started his film career with the film ‘Accha Ji’ in 1950 and after that he played brilliant roles in films like ‘Gunaah’, ‘Rupaiya’, ‘Shama Parwana’. She got her real break from the 1954 film ‘Boot Polish’, in which she played the character of ‘Bellu’, a poor orphan girl. His acting in this film was so strong that he was booked not only in India but also abroad. ‘Boot Polish’ was screened at the Cannes Film Festival and Naaz received a special mention award along with her co-star Ratan Kumar. This was a big deal especially for an Indian child artist at that time. His career as a child artist was at its peak. Later, she also got the opportunity to become a heroine, but she could not regain her childhood popularity. She played important roles in serious films like ‘Devdas’, ‘Ganga Jamuna’, ‘Kaagaz Ke Phool’ and ‘Musafir’, but the role that most marked her recognition as a mature artist was the 1970 film ‘Sachcha Jhootha’, in which she played the role of Rajesh Khanna’s disabled sister. Her innocent and emotional acting in this film touched the audience so much that people started calling her ‘Bollywood’s Beloved Sister’. Gradually, when he started getting fewer opportunities in films, he started his second career as a dubbing artist. Very few people know that when Sridevi entered Hindi films from South Indian films in the 1980s, her voice initially did not fit in Hindi. In such a situation, Kumari Naaz did the dubbing in Sridevi’s initial hit films. Especially in hit films like ‘Himmatwala’, ‘Tohfa’ and ‘Mawali’ he gave voice to the character of Sridevi. There was innocence and delicacy in her voice that suited Sridevi’s characters. Naz married actor Subbiraj, who was Raj Kapoor’s cousin, in 1963. After marriage she converted to Hinduism and changed her name to ‘Anuradha’. She gradually distanced herself from films and became engrossed in her family and then continued to work only as a dubbing artist. In his career, he has worked in more than 200 films, playing roles ranging from child artist to character artist and voiceover artist. He received the special honor of the Cannes festival, which very few Indian artists got at that time. At the end of his life he developed liver cancer. In 1995, her condition became so serious that she went into a coma and died on October 19, 1995. –IANS PK/AS