Veena (née Tajour Sultana; 4 July 1926 – 14 November 2004), also known as Veena Kumari, was an Indian actress appeared in over 70 feature films in a career spanning 41 years.
Early life and background Veena was born as Tajour Sultana on 4 July 1926 in Quetta, Baluchistan Agency, British India. Later, her family moved to Lahore and they lived there for an extended period of time.
She married actor-hero Al Nasir in 1947 in Junagadh and had two children with him. Al Nasir was from a royal family in Bhopal and had already been married, first to actress Meena Shorey and then to Manorama. They both worked together in a few films but their films flopped at the box-office. Al Nasir died in 1957 due to tetanus.
Career Veena started out playing heroine roles in pre-partition films. She made her debut with Garib and Gawandhi (1942) at around sixteen years of age. Garib was made in Urdu and Gawandhi was made in Punjabi and directed by Mehboob Khan. In Garib, she played the role of Lata and in Gawandhi she played heroine opposite Shyam, who played the hero.
She became known for her roles in pre-partition Hindi and Urdu films. Her early years in films came with films such as Najma (1943), Phool (1945) and Humayun (1945). Her last film before the Partition of India was Rajputani (1946), in which she played a supporting role. She decided to remain in India after the partition in 1947 and acted through the mid-to-late-1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s.
She played roles in big productions such as Halaku (1956), Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958), Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), Taj Mahal (1963), Do Raaste (1969) and Pakeezah (1972). She retired in 1983 after the release of Razia Sultan (1983) in which she played Empress Shah Turkhan.
Death Veena died in Bombay on 14 November 2004 after 21 years of retirement when she was 78 years old after suffering from a protracted illness. She had appeared in over 70 feature films in a career spanning 41 years (1942 – 1983).
Filmography Year Film Character/Role Notes1988 Hamara Khandaan Last and Final film Role1986Mazloom 1983 Razia SultanEmpress Shah Turkhan1981 Agni Pareeksha (1981 film) Karuna ChoudharyKhawaja Ki Diwani1980 Payal Ki Jhankaar 1978 Satyam Shivam SundaramNawab Sahib Farida1977 Jay Vejay ChandeliShatranj Ke KhilariQueen Mother 1974 Dukh Bhanjan Tera NaamRani Sheela1974 5 RiflesMaharaniPran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye Raja's mother1973 Jheel Ke Us Paar Mrs. Kulwant Rai 'Rani Maa'Chhupa Rustam Mrs. Rajendra JainBanrasi Babu Mohan's MotherMere Gharib Nawaz Begum Baig1972 Parichay Sati DeviPakeezah NawabjaanShehzada Rajlaxmi1970 Heer Raanjha Nanak Naam Jahaz Hai Naya RaastaRukmini1969 Do Raaste Mrs. Gupta, Satyan's motherAnmol Moti1968 Aashirwad Leela S. ChoudharySaathi Rajni's MotherShrimanji1967 Chhoti Si Mulaqat Shanker's wife Noor Jehan1966 Sannata1966 Alibaba Aur 40 Chor (1966 film) Razia, Ali Baba's older sister1965 Sikandar-E-Azam Sikandar's mother1964 BaghiShehnai 1963 Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon JamunaTaj Mahal Malka-E-Alam Noor Jehan/Mehrunissa1959 Chhoti Bahen YashodaKaagaz Ke Phool Veena Varma/Veena Sinha1958 Chalti Ka Naam GaadiKaminiMehndi1957 Mera SalaamMumtaz Mahal Naya Zamana1956 Halaku Maharani1952 AasmaanAnnadata1951 Afsana MeeraKashmir1950 Dastan Rani1947 Chheen Le Azadi Madhvi1946 Rajputani1945 HumayunRajkumari (as Veena Kumari)Phool1943 NajmaNajma (Nawab's daughter)1942 GaribLata (as Veena Kumari)1939 Swastik
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