There have been several legendary actresses in Hindi and Punjabi industries who’ve made a mark for themselves with their negative roles. However, not many of you might be knowing that the actual trend of playing a female villain was actually started by a Punjabi actress.
Early career
The late actress, Kuldip Kaur, is widely regarded as India’s first female villain. The actress began her career in 1948 with Punjabi film “Chaman”, which was a big success. She went on to appear in Hindi film “Grahasti” which was a major breakthrough as a vamp in her career. She appeared in roles with negative shads with many films through the 50s, and starred in hits like Samadhi, Baiju Bawra, Baaz, Anarkali, and Aadhi Raat. On the top of her career, she was considered as important as the likes of Pran who was the reigning villain in Bollywood at the time.
Interestingly, she was so hated during the 50s that there were rumors calling her a Pakistani spy but they were found to be untrue.
Personal life
Kuldip Kaur was born in a Jat family in Lahore in 1927. She was married by the age of 14 and gave birth to her first child at the age of 16. However, she defied convention and family pressure to join films. She began making movies in Lahore pre-Partition. She was also said to have an affair with Pran and after the partition, the duo escaped to India with the actress leaving her family behind. That is when she began her Indian film career.
Tragic death
Kuldip Kaur appeared in over 100 films in a career that lasted barely a decade. Her death was equally tragic as it was sudden. She died in 1960 at the age of 32 after contracting tetanus. There are two stories behind her death. One states that she went to Shirdi where she was pricked by a thorn. The other theory is that she got a wound from a nail at a dargah. In both cases, the story goes that she thought it was a normal wound that did not require a doctor’s eyes. Eventually, the wound became infected, claiming her life.
