Take the case of Baiju Bawra. In this popular film she enacted the part of a long suffering Indian woman willing to sacrifice herself for the material and spiritual advancement of the man she loves. The heroine went to the extent of choosing the path of annihilation--to provide him the experience of pain so that his music would be enriched! It was a powerful performance and fetched her the inaugural Filmfare Award for Best Actress.

Meena became synonymous with tragedy, a pity according to the critics, since she displayed a refreshing lack of inhibition in the few light-hearted films she did in between such as Azaad/ (1955), Miss Mary (1957), Shararat (1959) and Kohinoor (1960). Says an internet article, " In these films, her physical movements are free and unrestrained and her dialogue delivery absolutely normal - a stark contrast to the studied mannerisms and passive postures of her tragic roles."

However, it was a tragedy which marked the pinnacle of her film career. The film was Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962). Produced by Guru Dutt, the film tells the story of Choti Bahu, the youngest bride in an aristocratic zamindar family, who strives to make her errant husband return to her even at the risk of self-destruction.

That year Meena made history as she garnered all the three Best Actress nominations for the Filmfare Award - for Aarti (1962), Main Chup Rahoongi (1962) and of course Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam for which she won the award.

While on the professional front, the resounding success of Dil Ek Mandir (1963), Kajal (1965) and Phoor Aur Pathar (1966) kept her a top star, her marriage with Kamal Amrohi ended in 1964. Meena increasingly turned for comfort towards younger men such as Dharmendra and often dulled her senses with liquor. Her image grew in dimension as she was now widely seen as the eternal martyr.

Meena spent the last years of her life playing the doomed diva. With heavy drinking, her appearance suffered and she began playing character roles, albeit strong ones, in potboilers like Jawab (1970) and Dushman (1971).

A talented poetess in her own right, she recorded a disc of her Urdu poems - I write, I recite. Thankfully her exquisite speaking voice remained intact. In Gulzar's debut directorial venture Mere Apne (1971), she gave a powerful portrayal of an old woman caught between two street gangs of frustrated, unemployed youth, whose killing finally makes them realise the futility of violence. Realising that time was running out, she immersed herself in completing the timeless classic, Pakeezah (1972). Jointly planned by Meena and her then husband Kamal Amrohi in 1958, the film took 14 years to finally reach the silver screen. Filming came to a halt when the couple split but Meena was determined to complete it.

Pakeezah was finally released in February 1972 and opened to a lukewarm response. However, after her death on March 31, 1972, the film went on to become a huge success at the box-office with Meena playing the part of mother and daughter. Pakeezah now is reckoned as her best known film.

Meena Kumari's last film was Gomti ke Kinare (1972). Tanha Chand, a collection of her poems under the pseudonym Naaz, was compiled by Gulzar and published after her death.

Compiled by Cultural Correspondent