This star was called ugly child, once slapped Sanjeev Kumar, her husband was burnt alive, then...

Nutan Samarth Bahl was a celebrated Indian actress in Hindi cinema. With a career spanning nearly four decades, she appeared in over 80 films and won an impressive five Filmfare Awards for Best Actress.

In 1974, she was honored with the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award, recognizing her exceptional contributions to the film industry.

Nutan was reported to have filed a case against her mother, Shobhana, over allegations of mismanaging her finances. As a result, she had no communication with the Samarth family for almost two decades. In an interview with fashion photographer Gautam Rajadhyaksha, Nutan shared the emotional struggle behind her decision to take legal action, saying, "t was a very hard decision for me to take. Yes, I had expected the reaction, ‘How can a daughter take her mother to the court?’ But that didn’t make the conflict any easier to bear. Yet, I had to do it to protect the future of everyone concerned." 

Despite being married to Naval Lt Commander Rajnish Bahl since 1959, rumors of an affair started circulating about Nutan. While shooting for Devi, Nutan reportedly slapped Sanjeev Kumar after reading about their supposed relationship in a magazine, allegedly influenced by her husband’s concerns over the rumors.

Later, in an interview, Nutan said, "My slapping Sanjeev Kumar became a much-talked about incident. He made a very careless, irresponsible statement about having an affair. That made me furious… I had to put him in his place. After I said what I had to, I cooled down and said, ‘let’s finish the love scene’."

Nutan was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1990. After falling ill while filming Garajna and Insaniyat in February 1991, she was admitted to Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai. Sadly, she passed away on February 21, 1991, at 12:07 p.m. (IST).

She tied the knot with Indian Navy Lieutenant Commander Rajnish Bahl on October 11, 1959, and they had a son, Mohnish, who went on to become a well-known actor in both TV and film. Tragically, Rajnish Bahl lost his life in a fire accident in his apartment in 2004.