On her 50th death anniversary, remembering the triple tragedies of Meena Kumari

Gifted actors are expected to perform varied roles onscreen, even those totally contrary to their usual character, but return to their normal lives once the camera is switched off.

The problem begins when the dividing line between their reel and real life begins to blur. Meena Kumari, known for playing star-crossed characters heading for a tragic fate, became a hapless victim of the unfortunate blurring of this line separating the personal and the professional.

Portraying a wide gamut of wronged, silent, long-suffering but dignified Indian women, from passed-over love interests to neglected wives, in cinematic classics spanning from "Baiju Bawra"