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Happy Birthday Farida Jalal: A very significant other

We all know about the lead heroes and heroines of B-Town, but what about the supporting rollers? The actors who make such a huge impact within the films that they become almost as important as the leads themselves? When this question arouse it really got us thinking about who is it that really have this effect. One name came to mind��immediately, that of Farida Jalal. ��So we at��BizAsia,��have decided to proudly bring to you a reflection on some of her award-winning performances throughout her career.

Farida Jalal

Although she is best known for her roles as a mother, Jalal first hit the big screens at the age of 12 in the super hit film ��Chaudavin Ka Chand�۪ (1961). She was��recognized��by Filmfare�۪s United Producers Talent Hunt in 1960, and has since been making films up to this day.

Though not bagging many lead roles in her career, she has more than 130 films under her belt. Her portrayal of each character has never failed to mesmerize audiences and critics, whether it be a sister, a daughter or a mother.

One of Jalal�۪s most unforgettable performances is as Sanjeev Kumar�۪s sister in Paras (1971). One scene in particular where she is trying to escape the wrath of the villain Arjun Singh played so well by Shatrugun Sinha, Jalal fights against him, acting her words so powerfully, enough to scare off anyone who dares to question her dignity.�� She portrays the emotion of a woman who is hurt, afraid, angered and also revenged so well that the audiences is made to feel as if her pain and anguish as if it were their own.

After acting in around 40 films after this, Jalal decided to take a break with her acting career in the early 80s and she moved toBangalore. She came back years later with films like ��Pushpak�۪ (1988) and ��Henna�۪ (1991).

��Henna�۪ was seen as her official big comeback movie and she even won a Filmfare Award for the Best Supporting Actress. Playing the character of the small village herbal doctor and adoptive mother of Rishi Kapoor�۪s character, audiences experienced feelings of a mother, sister, friend, adviser, and supporter through her. Playing her part so well, she made audiences believe that she was playing her true self, and instead of acting, she is simply reacting to the events that take place throughout the film.

Another film that Jalal received critical acclaim for was that of her role in Mammo (1994). A film where Jalal, as protagonist, unites with her sister and grand-nephew, after being deported from Pakistan to India, and the struggles she goes through with trying to stay there. Jalal�۪s character is fun-loving and free and her portrayal is with ease and excellence. Her emotions reflect through the way she seems to really get into her character and the chemistry she creates between the grand-nephew and herself. At the beginning of the film the boy has no recollection of who Mammo is when she turns up at his doorstep but, going on, the pair experiences such an important and close relationship that Jalal is seen as a second mother to him.

Jalal picked up the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance, and the Bengal Film Journalists Association Award for Best Actress for the film.

From second mother to real mother, Jalal�۪s role in ��Laadla�۪ (1994) was one of her best performances as a mother to date, bagging her third Filmfare for Best Supporting Actress Award. As true as the title, she plays the perfect mother; totally devoted to God, who will do anything for her son�۪s well being, and whose charm is reflected through innocence.

Last, but by no means least, walking away with her fourth Filmfare Award for Supporting Actress is a film that nobody can ever forget. About two star crossed lovers caught between the expectations of a father trying to stick to his traditional Indian roots. ��Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge�۪ (1995) is where Jalal so wondrously reflects a mother�۪s hardship to that of a wife�۪s. Being trapped in the middle like a game of tug of war between the happiness of her daughter, Simran, and the expectations of her husband, Balraj, a particular scene which sticks out is where her character, Lajjo, talks to Simran about her dilemma. She find herself reflecting on the implications of being an Indian woman, of having hopes and dreams that can never be fulfilled because of the traditions of her culture. Begging her daughter to listen to her father and forget her beloved, Jalal displays helplessness and sorrow that make audiences feel as though they are caught in the same turmoil with Simran as she. As Lajjo pours her heart out to her daughter, the audience are able to recognize exactly how true Jalal is to her character.

Versatile and timeless, Jalal has proven herself as both in her many years as an actress, and is ready for more. Her charisma and attitude towards each and every role is reflected through effortlessly, which make her one of Bollywood��s most inspirational actresses. BizAsia��would just like to say thank you to Farida Jalal for her amazing contribution to the Indian Film��Industry and we��are very grateful to have such a sensational set of characters displayed our screens.