Waheeda Rehman
Film & Theater Personalities

Waheeda Rehman Net Worth

Waheeda Rehman is an Indian actress who has had a long and successful career in films spanning multiple genres. Born in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, she initially aspired to become a doctor but had to abandon her studies due to her father's death and her mother's illness. She began her acting career in the Telugu film industry and soon moved into Hindi films, appearing in the hit film 'CID'. She has since become one of the most successful actresses of her era, and more recently has taken up character roles, playing elderly mother and grandmother roles.
Waheeda Rehman is a member of Film & Theater Personalities

Age, Biography and Wiki

Who is it? Actress
Birth Day February 03, 1938
Birth Place Chengalpattu, Indian
Age 85 YEARS OLD
Birth Sign Pisces
Other names Waheeda Rahman
Occupation Actress
Years active 1955–1991, 2002–present
Notable work Reshma in Reshma Aur Shera Rosie Marco/Miss Nalini in Guide Rajkumari Neel Kamal/Sita in Neel Kamal Nurse Radha in Khamoshi
Height 5 ft 4 in (163 cm)
Spouse(s) Shashi Rekhi (1974–2000; his death)
Children 2

💰 Net worth: $7 Million (2024)

Waheeda Rehman, a renowned Indian actress, is expected to have a net worth of $7 million by 2024. With her talent, charm, and contribution to the Indian film industry, Rehman has become an iconic figure. Throughout her illustrious career, she has captivated audiences with her remarkable performances and versatility. From her breakthrough role in "C.I.D." (1956) to memorable films like "Guide" (1965) and "Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam" (1962), Rehman has established herself as one of the greatest actresses in Indian cinema. Her talent and dedication to her craft have undoubtedly contributed to her financial success, making her a true inspiration for aspiring actors.

Biography/Timeline

1954

Waheeda Rehman started her career in films in 1954 and her first successful films were the Telugu films Jayasimha (1955), Rojulu Marayi (1956) and Tamil film Kaalam Maari Pochu (1955). It was M.G.Ramachandran who offered her the song "Salaam Babu" in Modern Theatres production of the Tamil film Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum (1956 film).

1955

Rehman was in her teens when her Father died. Her dream was to become a Doctor, but, due to her family's circumstances and her mother's illness, she abandoned her goal. In order to help her family, she hit the silver screen with Telugu films; Jayasimha (1955), followed by Rojulu Marayi (1955) and a Tamil film Kaalam Maari Pochu (1956). It was in Vijaya-Suresh's Ram aur Shyam (a remake of the Telugu movie Ramudu Bheemudu) in 1967 that she acted again under the direction of the topnotch Telugu Director Tapi Chanakya, who incidentally directed her movies Rojulu Maaraayi (in Telugu) (1955) and Kaalam Maaripochu (in Tamil) (1956).

1956

Waheeda Rehman established a great working relationship with Dev Anand, and together as a pair had number of successful films to their credit. The box office hits of the pair include CID (1956), Solva Saal (1958), Kala Bazar (1960), Baat Ek Raat Ki (1962) and Guide (1965); box office duds were Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja (1961) and Prem Pujari (1970). She reached her peak with Guide (1965) and was much in demand. Rehman was cast as Gulabi in Satyajit Ray's Bengali film Abhijan in 1962. She worked in the comedy film Girl Friend in 1960 with Kishore Kumar. She was offered the lead actress's role in films even opposite actors junior to her by experience like Dharmendra, but they flopped. But she continued to taste success in the late sixties when she was paired with well established stars. She delivered hits opposite Dilip Kumar in three successive years; Dil Diya Dard Liya in 1966, Ram Aur Shyam in 1967 and Aadmi in 1968 and some box office duds but critically acclaimed films with Rajendra Kumar; Palki, Dharti and Shatranj; two films opposite Raj Kapoor; Ek Dil Sau Afsane and the acclaimed Teesri Kasam, which was the debut film of Basu Bhattacharyya; a few films opposite Biswajeet such as Bees Saal Baad and Kohra; this helped her continue to get lead roles in the early seventies. Her career's biggest hit Khamoshi came in 1970, opposite Rajesh Khanna.

1960

Her career continued throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. She won the Filmfare Best Actress Award for her roles in Guide (1965), where she hit the peak of her career, and Neel Kamal (1968), but despite excellent offbeat roles in subsequent films, including a National Award winning performance in Reshma Aur Shera (1971), some of the films failed at the box office. Seeing her films being successful, Waheeda decided to experiment with roles at this stage of career. She accepted Reshma Aur Shera, opposite her old co-star Sunil Dutt, with whom she had previously in the sixties had hits such as Ek Phool Char Kaante, Mujhe Jeene Do, Meri Bhabhi and Darpan. Her performance was appreciated by critics, but the film failed at the box office. But Waheeda continued to experiment with roles and accepted the offer to play a mother to Jaya Bhaduri in Phagun (1973). This, she regards the mistake of her career, as after this film flopped, suddenly people started offering her motherly roles to heroes.

1964

From the mid-seventies, Waheeda's career as lead heroine ended and her career as character actor began. At around this time, Kamaljit, who starred opposite her in Shagoon (1964), proposed and they got married in 1974. After her appearance in Lamhe (1991), she retired from the film industry for 12 years.

1974

After her marriage to Shashi Rekhi (screen name Kamaljeet) on 27 April 1974, she shifted to a farmhouse in Bangalore. She has two children named Sohail and Kashvi, who are Writers. On 21 November 2000, her husband died following a prolonged illness. She moved back to her ocean view bungalow in Bandra, Mumbai where she currently lives.

1976

In her new innings from the seventies, her successful films where she played pivotal roles include Kabhi Kabhie (1976),Trishul (1978), Jwalamukhi (1980), Namkeen and Namak Halaal (1982), Mashaal (1984), Chandni(1989) and Rang De Basanti(2006). She played the central character in the Mahesh Bhatt directed film Swayam that starred Akash Khurana and Anupam Kher. She also appeared in a tele-series being directed by Gulzar.

2002

In recent years she made a comeback playing elderly mother and grandmother roles in Om Jai Jagadish (2002), Water (2005), Rang De Basanti (2006), 15, Park Avenue and Delhi 6 (2009) which were all critically acclaimed.

2004

In October 2004, a Waheeda Rehman film retrospective was held at the Seattle Art Museum and the University of Washington where Waheeda participated in spirited panel and audience discussions on her most memorable films; Pyaasa, Teesri Kasam and Guide - although her most successful film is still considered to be Khamoshi, with costar Rajesh Khanna.

Some Waheeda Rehman images

About the author

Lisa Scholfield

As a Senior Writer at Famous Net Worth, I spearhead an exceptional team dedicated to uncovering and sharing the stories of pioneering individuals. My passion for unearthing untold narratives drives me to delve deep into the essence of each subject, bringing forth a unique blend of factual accuracy and narrative allure. In orchestrating the editorial workflow, I am deeply involved in every step—from initial research to the final touches of publishing, ensuring each biography not only informs but also engages and inspires our readership.