Child actress and Supporting roles

Baby Nanda (aged 9) with actress Shanta Apte in the film Mandir.

Nanda made her debut with Mandir in 1948. On the silver screen, she was first recognized as "Baby Nanda". In films like Mandir, Jaggu and Angaarey, She was a child actor from 1948 to 1956.^[8] Nanda's paternal uncle, the renowned film producer-director V. Shantaram gave Nanda a big break by casting her in a successful brother-sister saga; Toofan Aur Diya (1956). It was the saga of an orphaned brother and sister that are buffeted by a series of tragic setbacks, including the girl losing her sight. She received her first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for Bhabhi (1957), she claimed that the reason she did not win was that there was lobbying involved.^[9] She played supporting roles to stars such as Dev Anand in Kala Bazar (1960),^[10] and played the second lead in Dhool Ka Phool (1959). Earlier in her career, she acted in many Marathi films. These include Kuldaivat, Shevgyachyaa Shenga directed by Shantaram Athavale, Deoghar directed by Raja Paranjpe, Zalegele Visrun Jaa directed by Yashwant Patekar, and Aai wina baal with Hansa Wadkar. Nanda was honored by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for her sister's role in Shevgyachyaa shenga.

Leading Lady

She played the title role in L.V. Prasad's Chhoti Bahen (1959). The film was a big hit, making her a star.^[11] In this commercially successful 1959 film, Nanda played the blind younger sister looked after by two elder brothers, played by Balraj Sahni and Rehman.^[12] She then played lead roles, such as one of Dev Anand's heroines in Hum Dono (1961) and Teen Deviyan. Both films were acclaimed as hits. She was the heroine in B.R. Chopra's Kanoon (1960), a film with no songs, which was then rare.

She won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for Aanchal (1960), her first and only win at the Filmfare Awards. She was paired with Raj Kapoor in Aashiq (1962) and she worked with Rajendra Kumar in three films – Toofan Aur Diya (1956), Dhool Ka Phool (1961) and Kanoon (1960). She had quoted in one of her interviews: "Many of my great performances were in films that failed or did average business, like Usne Kaha Tha, Char Diwari, Nartaki, and Aaj Aur Kal."^[13]

Nanda was known to encourage newcomers. She signed eight films with Shashi Kapoor at a time when he was yet to become successful in Hindi Cinema. Their first two films as a pair – the critically acclaimed romantic film Char Diwari (1961) and Mehndi Lagi Mere Haath (1962) – did not work, but the rest were successful at the box office.^[14] Shashi, though he had achieved success in English films in 1963 and in two Hindi films in 1965, had five flops as solo lead hero from his debut in 1961 till 1965 in Hindi films. In Jab Jab Phool Khile (1965), Nanda played a westernised role for the first time and it helped her image.^[15] Her favorite song that was famously picturized on her in the film was "Yeh samaa." Shashi would later declare that Nanda was his favorite heroine. Nanda, too, declared Kapoor as her favourite hero. In the period 1965 to 1970, the successful films of the pair Shashi-Nanda include Mohabbat Isko Kahete Hain (1965), Jab Jab Phool Khile (1965), Neend Hamari Khwab Tumhare (1966), Raja Saab (1969) and Rootha Na Karo (1970). In the early 1970s, Nanda suggested Rajendra Kumar, co-producer of The Train, to take Rajesh Khanna as the main lead.^[16]

She had another hit film in 1965 with Gumnaam, which helped put her in the top league of heroines.^[11] With Dharmendra, she worked in Mera Kasoor Kya Hai and Akashdeep. She played lead heroine roles beginning with Choti Bahen and Kanoon from 1959 to 60 and continued to get roles as the main female lead till 1973. She signed with new leading man Rajesh Khanna in the songless suspense thriller Ittefaq (1969), for which she received her first and only nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress and also proved to be successful at the box office. After Khanna became a superstar, he signed two more films with her; the thriller The Train (1970) and the comedy Joroo Ka Ghulam (1972) which became hits. Jeetendra, too, had some hit films with her such as Parivar and Dharti Kahe Pukar Ke, with Sanjay Khan, she had a hit in Beti and Abhilasha The three films Ittefaq, The Train and Joru Ka Ghulam – earned more than her earlier hits opposite Shashi Kapoor, Rajendra Kumar, Dev Anand, Sanjeev Kumar and Jeetendra.^[17]

Later career and supporting roles

After a small role in Manoj Kumar's Shor (1972), Nanda did a few more critically acclaimed films such as Chhalia (1973) and Naya Nasha (1974), which flopped. Work offers for Nanda dried up from 1973 as her pairing with other younger actors such as Navin Nischol, Vinod Mehra, Deb Mukherjee and Parikshit Sahni did not work.,^[13] and she then stopped acting. In the early 1980's, she had a cereer comeback with three successful films, all coincidentally having her play Padmini Kolhapure's mother in Ahista Ahista (1981), Raj Kapoor's Prem Rog (1982), and Mazdoor (1983), receiving two nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for the first two films, post which she permanently retired.^[18]

Earnings and ranking

Nanda in 2010

Nanda, who has done some notable work in Bollywood films such as Dhool Ka Phool, Dulhan, Bhabhi, Jab Jab Phool Khile, Gumnaam, Shor, Parineeta, and Prem Rog and was one of the highest-paid actresses of her time. She was the second highest-paid Hindi actress, along with Nutan from 1960 to 1965, the second highest-paid Hindi actress from 1966 to 1969 along with Nutan and Waheeda Rehman, and the third highest-paid Hindi actress with Sadhana from 1970 to 1973.^[19]