Veteran Actor Shammi Passes Away At 89

Bollywood has lost yet another leading lady. Veteran actor Shammi passed away at the age of 89. She has acted in over 100 films and TV shows. Though known as Shammi aunty to many, her real name was Nargis Rabadi. Starting her career as a leading lady in 'Malhar', Shammi has acted in films like 'Jab Jab Phool Khile', 'Upkaar', 'Ishaara', 'Half Ticket' and 'Ittefaq'.

Here a few things to know about this iconic actress:

Her father was a priest in an agyari (Parsi fire temple) and died when she was around three years old.  Her mother used to cook the food at all religious functions organized by the Parsi community to earn money and raise the family.

Shammi's first job was in the packing department at Johnson and Johnson, where she was paid Rs 100 a month.

She got into films because of a family friend who was working with filmmaker Mehboob Khan and introduced her. 

Following her demise, Amitabh Bachchan was the first to share the news on social media.  

“Shammi Aunty .. prolific actress, years of contribution to the Industry, dear family friend .. passes away ..!! A long suffered illness, age ..Sad .. slowly slowly they all go away ...” Bachchan said on Twitter

She made a comeback in the '90s with TV serials. She played grandmother in shows like 'Dekh Bhai Dekh', 'Kabhi Yeh Kabhi Woh', 'Zabaan Sambhal Ke' and 'Shriman Shrimati'.

Here are some reactions from social media:

Congress leader Priya Dutt tweeted: “Shammi, aunty to me and a great actor of yesteryears, passed away today. She was my mother’s dear friend and someone we all loved very much. May her soul rest in peace and her laughter and contagious smile rock the heavens. Be in peace with your friends.”

RIP #Shammi, one of those spirited and funny girls on the side of the picture who often made the picture worthwhile for me pic.twitter.com/DnCOzl2kN9

— Paromita Vohra (@parodevi) March 6, 2018

Also Read: Janhvi Kapoor Pens Down an Emotional Tribute to Sridevi

Picture Credit: The Indian Express