# Vimi

Vimi (1943 – 22 August 1977) was an Indian actress who acted in Indian films such as Aabroo, Hamraaz and Patanga. She starred with Sunil Dutt in Hamraaz and became notable. According to film expert Rajesh Subramanian, a fraud film broker named Jolly ruined her career and image, by posing as a fake boyfriend and forcing Vimi into prostitution.

## Career

Vimi debuted opposite Sunil Dutt in the B. R. Chopra-directed Hamraaz in 1967. The film was a hit but did not help her career. She appeared with Shashi Kapoor in Patanga (1971) and Vachan (1974). She was the leading lady in Aabroo (1968), opposite Deepak Kumar. She appeared in the Punjabi film Nanak Nam Jahaz Hai in 1973. Her last film was Krodhi, released four years after she died in 1977.

## Personal life

Vimi was a Punjabi Sikh girl who married Shiv Agarwal, the son of an Industrialist, with whom she had one son and one daughter. Music Director Ravi got introduced to her at a party in Calcutta and later invited her and Shiv to Mumbai. He introduced them to B. R. Chopra and that is how Vimi got her first film. Even though her husband supported her decision, her parents and relatives abandoned the couple because they were against Vimi joining the film industry. As Sunil Dutt sang to her ("Na Sar Jhuka Ke Jeeyo, Na Muh Chhupake Jeeyo"), the enchanting image of Vimi won the viewers' hearts. At one point, she was called the Most Beautiful Actress of Bollywood. Her famous Filmfare photoshoot, in which she wore a stylised swimsuit, made headlines and established her as a bold actress. She owned a huge house, luxury cars and a huge wardrobe, due to her being the highest-paid actress at the time. Soon after the success of Humraaz, her next big project Aabroo was released in 1968. This film, however, bombed at the box office. Even veteran actors like Ashok Kumar and Nirupa Roy who were also part of the film couldn't do much to save it. After the failure of Aabroo things went spiralling downward for Vimi who was now reduced to posing for photoshoots in magazines. Patanga, her 1971 film with Shashi Kapoor, also failed to strike a chord with the audience. Thus after successive flop films, she went into oblivion.
In an obituary released after her death, several hostile details were revealed which included her being physically abused by her husband and their eventual divorce. Following her separation, she started a textile business in Calcutta but that too failed miserably, and was forced to sell her assets to pay off debts, leaving her homeless. She had started a relationship with a film broker but he had allegedly sold her into prostitution. Devastated by her professional and personal life, Vimi took refuge in alcohol.
Finally, after a tumultuous and tragic life, Vimi died on 22 August 1977 due to liver disease caused by alcohol consumption in the general ward of the Nanavati hospital in Mumbai. Her body was dishonourably taken to the crematorium in a thela hand cart.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Movies | Role | Notes |
| 1967 | Hamraaz | Meena Verma | Debut film |
| 1968 | Aabroo | Neena | |
| 1969 | Nanak Nam Jahaz Hai | Channi | National Award winning Punjabi film |
| 1971 | Patanga | Renu | |
| 1971 | Guddi | Cameo | |
| 1971 | Kahin Aar Kahin Paar | Dancer princess | |
| 1973 | Kahani Hum Sab Ki | | |
| 1974 | Vachan | | |
| 1978 | Premi Gangaram | | |
| 1981 | Krodhi | Madhavan's Mistress | |

### Songs

Songs picturised on her:
* "Tum Agar Saath Dene Ka Wada Karo" - Hamraaz (1967)
* "Na Muh Chhupaake Jiyo" - Hamraaz (1967)
* "Neele Gagan Ke Tale" - Hamraaz (1967)
* "Kisi Pathar Ki Moorat Se" - Hamraaz (1967)
* "Aap Se Pyar Hua" - Aabroo (1968)
* "Jinhe Hum Bhulna Chahe" - Aabroo (1968)
* "Thoda Ruk Jayegi To Tera Kya Jayega" - Patanga (1971)