Background and career
Kamini Kaushal (born Uma Kashyap; 24 February 1927 – 13 November 2025) was an Indian actress who worked in Hindi films and television in a career spanning seven decades. She is regarded as one of the finest actresses of Hindi cinema. She is noted for her roles in films such as Neecha Nagar (1946), which won the 1946 Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and Biraj Bahu (1954), which won her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress in 1956.
Kaushal played the lead heroine in films from 1946 to 1963, wherein her roles in Do Bhai (1947), Shaheed (1948), Nadiya Ke Paar (1948), Ziddi (1948), Shabnam (1949), Paras (1949), Namoona (1949), Arzoo (1950), Jhanjar (1953), Aabroo (1956), Bade Sarkar (1957), Jailor (1958), Night Club (1958) and Godaan (1963) are considered her career's best performances. She played character roles from 1963 onwards, and was critically acclaimed for her performance in Shaheed (1965). She appeared in three of Rajesh Khanna's films, namely Do Raaste (1969), Prem Nagar (1974), Maha Chor (1976), in Anhonee (1973) with Sanjeev Kumar and in eight films with Manoj Kumar namely Shaheed, Upkar (1967), Purab Aur Paschim (1970), Shor (1972), Roti Kapda Aur Makaan (1974), Sanyasi (1975), Dus Numbri (1976) and Santosh (1989).
From the 1990s, Kaushal only sporadically appeared in films. She latterly appeared in Chennai Express (2013) and the romantic drama Kabir Singh (2019), both of which rank among the highest grossing Indian films, winning the Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress and a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for the latter. She made her final film appearance with a cameo in Laal Singh Chaddha in 2022.
