Photo: Ministry of Communications / GODL-India (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Meena Kumari moves me more than almost any classic star. Crowned the Tragedy Queen, she carried sorrow on screen with a depth few have matched, across more than ninety films and four Filmfare Best Actress wins. What deepens my admiration is that she was also a poet, a singer, and a costume designer, an artist who poured herself into every dimension of cinema. She died at just thirty-eight, and knowing her own life echoed the heartbreak she portrayed makes her performances ache all the more. More than fifty years on, India still remembers her, and that endurance is the truest mark of greatness.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Meena Kumari
- Name (Japanese)
- ミーナ・クマリ
- Reading
- みーな・くまり
- Born
- August 1, 1933 – March 31, 1972
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Leo / Rooster
- Origin
- Dadar, Bombay State, India
- Occupation
- actor / poet / costume designer / singer
2. Background
Awards & achievements
- 1954 Filmfare Award for Best Actress
- 1958 Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Meena Kumari born?
August 1, 1933 – March 31, 1972.
Where is Meena Kumari from?
Meena Kumari is from Dadar, Bombay State, India.
What does Meena Kumari do?
Meena Kumari works as actor, poet, costume designer, singer.
Actor — see all → · Poet — see all → · More people from India →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.