The year was 1979. The venue: the grand Shanmukhananda Hall in Bombay, when Filmfare nights were still about cinema, not circus. Hema Malini, resplendent as ever, was on stage, handing the Best Actress trophy to the one and only Nutan for Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki. It was a moment soaked in history and grace. Nutan’s portrayal of Sanjukta, the stoic wife who rises above betrayal with quiet dignity, remains one of her most layered performances. While Asha Parekh played the titular Tulsi, it was Nutan who carried the film’s soul, turning restraint into rebellion and pain into poetry.
The applause that night wasn’t just for a performance; it was for an era of acting that valued truth over theatrics. And as Hema smiled, even she must have known; she was saluting the queen of understated power.
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