Whatever Waheeda movies I have watched, I feel she chose quite unconventional roles. Wonder how people in those times were so open minded and receptive of her movies.
A professional dancer, who runs away from her archaeologist husband with a tourist guide and sings Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna Hei. (Guide)
A leading actress, who falls in love with her director who is married and a father (I like the scene where his daughter confronts her). (Kagaz Ke Phool).
A touring stage artist as well as prostitute. When an innocent man falls for her, she rejects him. (Teesri Kasam). There were other movies (Sadhana with Vaijayanti Mala) with prostitute characters. But they ended up showing them reformed (mainstreamed). But in Teesri Kasam, female lead said that she is not virgin.
None of these were mainstream characters. But still people loved those movies and loved her.
People point at turbulence that post partition India had. They always remember to mention how Yusuf Khan (unlike 90s Khans) has to become Dilip Kumar to get recognition (same with Madhubala). They convenient forget, how Waheeda never resorted to this. Despite her Muslim name, she was a star.
People speak about her affair with Gurudutt. Everyone knows that it was from Gurudutt side, which eventually took his life. But one is not clear from Waheeda's side. Though she respected him as a director, she probably did not have any romantic feelings towards him and could not reciprocate. People try describing Gurudutt as tragic hero. Unable to get whom he loved (Waheeda), unable to love whom he had (Geeta Dutt). I can only call him an idiot for not respecting what he had and ending his life. Probably she refuses to speak about that part (though she fondly recalls him as a director), out of respect towards him.
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