Kamini Kaushal death at 98 puts spotlight on her rare seven decade run in Hindi cinema

Highlights:

• Kamini Kaushal death confirmed by family friend late Thursday night
• The 98-year-old actor had worked across seven decades
• Last seen in Laal Singh Chaddha at 95
• Family has asked for privacy during the mourning period

Kamini Kaushal’s death has brought a brief pause in Mumbai’s film circles this week. She died at her South Mumbai home late on Thursday, a family friend told PTI, closing a career that ran from the 1940s to 2022 and remained tied closely to the city’s changing film industry.

Kamini Kaushal death confirmed by family friend late Thursday night Instagram Screengrab/sunnobc

How Kamini Kaushal death is being felt across generations

Kaushal belonged to a small group of performers whose careers ran almost parallel to the growth of Hindi cinema itself. It is hard not to notice how her early work often comes up whenever people talk about the first phase of post-Independence films.

Her debut in Neecha Nagar in 1946 wasn’t just a strong start, it won the top prize at the inaugural Cannes Film Festival. In the late 1940s, she worked in Do Bhai, Shaheed, Ziddi and Shabnam. She also acted with Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor in different projects. It was a sign of her position then.

You could tell they meant it when old-timers said she carried both early stardom and later character roles with the same ease.

Kamini Kaushal death confirmed by family friend late Thursday night Instagram Screengrab/ Kareenakapoorkhan

Why Kamini Kaushal death reminds people of a rare career span

Most actors expect one clear phase; Kaushal had several.

By the mid-1960s, she had shifted to supporting roles, often as the steady figure in family dramas. She had switched to supporting parts by the middle of the 1960s, frequently playing the strong character in family dramas. She continued to act in movies like Do Raaste, Anhonee, Roti Kapda Aur Makaan, Purab Aur Paschim, and Prem Nagar, playing mother roles while maintaining a consistent workload.

Then came her Television phase. She worked in The Jewel in the Crown, Chand Sitare and Shanno Ki Shaadi, extending a career that rarely paused.

She continued accepting roles well after she could have stepped back, which is how she later appeared in Chennai Express, Kabir Singh and Laal Singh Chaddha.

What we know about the final years after Kamini Kaushal death

Sajan Narain, a close friend, confirmed she “died at her Mumbai home late on Thursday night” and would have turned 99 in February. Her family has stayed low-profile for decades, and they’ve asked for privacy now. She is survived by her three sons: Shravan, Vidur and Rahul.

Tributes have come in across social media. The Producers Guild called her work “versatile and multifaceted.” Kareena Kapoor posted a vintage photograph, a small gesture but one that captured how widely Kaushal was respected. Her body of work still sits across old black-and-white classics and today’s big releases. A long, steady line through the changing shape of Hindi cinema.