On Nimmi's birthday, know why she was called 'Un-kissed girl of India' by British media

February 18, 2021, marks the 88th birth anniversary of the late actor Nawab Bano, popularly known as Nimmi. After marking her debut in the Hindi film industry with Raj Kapoor's Barsaat in 1949, Nimmi established a name for herself in Bollywood like no other. In one of her last interviews before passing away in March 2020, the late legend had taken a stroll down memory lane and spilled the beans on why she was called the 'Un-kissed girl of India'. 

Also Read | Nalini Jaywant's Birth Anniversary: 5 Movies That Are Her Well-known Roles

Why was Nimmi called 'Un-kissed girl of India'

Nimmi is regarded as one of the finest leading ladies of the Hindi film industry's "Golden Era", who shot to fame in the 1950s and early 1960s. Some of her most notable Bollywood films include Aan (1952), Uran Khatola (1955), Kundan (1955), Bhai-Bhai (1956), Basant Bahar (1956), Mere Mehboob (1963), Pooja Ke Phool (1964) and Akashdeep (1965) to name a few. However, Nimmi's Aan has been one of the path-breaking films of her almost four-decade-long acting career. The Mehboob Khan directorial was India's first-ever technicolour film and was released in 28 countries back in the day. 

Also Read | Madhubala's Birth Anniversary: 10 Lesser Known Facts About The 'Venus Of Indian Cinema'

At that time, the film had made a lot of buzz in the United Kingdom after the Dilip Kumar starrer's premiere event in London. According to a recent report by Yahoo!, before passing away due to age-related ailments in March 2021, in one of her last interviews, Nimmi had spoken about the reason why she was titled the 'Un-kissed girl of India' by the British media. The Mere Mehboob actor reminisced the good old Aan London premiere days and revealed how late legendary Hollywood actor Errol Flynn had approached her and bent down to kiss her palm at the event. 

Also Read | Madhubala's Birth Anniversary: Unseen Pics Of Actor That Are Testimony To Her Beauty

However, Nimmi pulled her hand and asked him, "Don't you know I'm an Indian girl?". Soon after the incident took place in the UK, several newspapers titled her "The un-kissed girl of India". About Nimmi's movies, after starring in more than 30 Hindi films, Nimmi was last seen in 1986's K. Asif film Love and God, alongside megastar Sanjeev Kumar. 

Also Read | Pran's 101st Birth Anniversary: 10 Memorable Villainous Roles Played By Legendary Actor