Cinemaazi celebrates the birthday of Faryal

The Reluctant Cabaret Dancer? Today is the birthday of Faryal, born 3 November, 1945 in Damascus, Syria, who never learnt dancing, and admits that she rather hated it. Yet she is still celebrated as an ‘excellent cabaret dancer’ and actress in Hindi films of the 60s and 70s. Of Indo-Arabic descent, she completed her education at St Xavier’s College Bombay, and worked as an air hostess with Air India, before films beckoned. A product of the Filmalaya Actors School, she made her debut in Zindagi Aur Maut (1965) opposite Pradeep Kumar. However, it was her role as the shimmering cabaret dancer in Goldie Anand’s Jewel Thief (1967) that caught the audience’s attention and also stereotyped her as the Westernised dancer for the rest of her career. Faryal played the nightclub singer/ dancer in umpteen films including Rampur Ka Lakshman (1972), Sazaa (1972), Shararat (1972), Loafer (1973), Taxi Driver (1973), Khoon Khoon (1973), Hum Sab Chor Hai (1973), and Dafaa: 302 (1975). She was also seen in roles in Rajesh Khanna-Mumtaz starrer Sachcha Jhootha (1970), the Dharmendra-Waheeda Rehman starrer Man Ki Aankhen (1970), and Jheel Ke Us Paar (1973). She retired from films after Gold Medal (1984), in which she played Jeetendra’s girlfriend. Faryal went on to marry and settle in Israel.