Veteran actress Farida Jalal is one of the most celebrated actresses in the Hindi-film industry. Best known for her motherly roles, she has delivered numerous memorable performances throughout her career. From Lajwanti ‘Lajjo’ Singh in DDLJ to Sayeeda in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, her roles have always been praised by viewers and critics.

But not many know that she began her career as a child artist. In this article, let’s take a look at Farida Jalal’s iconic journey in Bollywood.

Farida Jalal started her career as child actress 

For the unversed, the veteran actress Farida Jalal entered the film industry in early 1960s and started her career as a child artist in films like ‘Sujata’ and ‘Dosto’. It is worth noting that she got widespread recognition with her child roles in films like ‘Ram Aur Shyam’, ‘Brahmachari’, ‘Sangam’, ‘Phool Aur Patthar’, and others. 

Debut as a lead actress in 1967 film ‘Taqdeer’ 

Jalal made her debut as a lead actress with the film ‘Taqdeer’ in 1967. The family drama film features Bharat Bhushan, Shalini Mardolkar, Dinesh Hingoo, Kamal Kapoor and others in the lead roles. The film was directed by A Salaam and has an IMDb rating of 6.6. At the time, Farida was a teenager.

Transition to motherly roles

Later, Farida went on to featured in more than 200 films especially as a character actress and lead actress in some. But she took a break from her career between 1983 and 1990 but made a comeback with the 1991 film ‘Henna’. Her performance in her comeback film ‘Henna’ began the phase of her career known for motherly roles. Randhir Kapoor’s directorial features Rishi Kapoor, Zeba Bakhtiar, Ashwini Bhave in the pivotal roles

Farida shares screen space with Rajesha Khanna in ‘Aaradhna’

For the unversed, Farida shared screen space with veteran actor Rajesh Khanna in the 1969 film Aaradhna and also got recognition for her role. The film features Sharmila Tagore, Sujit Kumar, Farida Jalal, Madan Puro, Ashok Kumar and others in the lead roles. Farida’s contribution in the film was also responsible for film’s success.

Farida Jalal as ‘Magical Nani’ in television serial ‘Shararat’

Apart from films, she has also featured in hit television show ‘Shararat’. She played the role of ‘Sushma Mehra’ aka Nani. Her  portrayal of ‘magical nani’ was loved by the audience. The fantasy comedy sitcom was aired in 2003 and continued till 2006. Besides Farida, it features Shruti Seth, Karanvir Bohra, Shoma Anand, Mahesh Thakur and others in the key roles. 

Farida Jalal’s upcoming project

On the work front, she will be next seen in the Rahhat Shah Kazmi’s directorial romantic drama film ‘Love in Vietnam’. Recently, she attended the trailer launch event of the movie alongside the other cast members. The film also features Avneet Kaur, Gulshan Grover, Shantanu Maheshwari, Raj Babbar in the lead roles.