Kareena Kapoor Khan, Kiara Advani and others mourn the demise of Kamini Kaushal

New Delhi, Nov 15 (PTI) Celebrities, including Kareena Kapoor Khan and Kiara Advani, remembered the late actor Kamini Kaushal, one of Hindi cinema's earliest female stars, who left an "unforgettable mark" on the industry.

Kaushal died at her Mumbai residence on Thursday night. She was 98. The actor made her debut with "Neecha Nagar" in 1946 and was amongst the industry's highest-paid actresses in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

She starred opposite the triumvirate of Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor before moving on to character roles in the 1960s.

Her last screen appearance was in Aamir Khan's 2022 film "Laal Singh Chaddha" at the age of 95, making for a remarkable 76 years in the movies.

Advani, who shared the screen with the late actor in the 2019 "Kabir Singh", said it was an honour to work with her. "It was an honour to work with you. Your grace, humility and talent inspired generations and left an unforgettable mark on Indian cinema. Rest in peace, Kamini Kaushal Ji," she wrote in her Instagram story on Saturday.

Shahid Kapoor, who also starred in the film, shared an Instagram story which featured a collage of Kaushal's throwback and a recent picture and wrote, "Rest in light maam." Khan uploaded a picture of the late actor on her Instagram story.

Anupam Kher paid his respects to the late actor in a heartfelt X post, calling her a "brilliant artist and a beautiful human being" "Kamini Kaushal ji was not only a brilliant artist, she was also a beautiful human being. Whenever I met her, she always greeted me with a smile and love, and always offered good advice. Her name will be written in golden letters in the history of Indian cinema! Om Shanti!" his post read.

After the success of "Neecha Nagar", Kaushal worked extensively with the triumvirate of Hindi cinema -- Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor -- in films such as "Jail Yatra", "Do Bhai", "Aag", "Shaheed", "Nadiya Ke Par", "Ziddi", "Shabnam" and "Arzoo".

She played the lead role in filmmaker Bimal Roy's acclaimed 1954 movie "Biraj Bahu", which won a National Film Award and earned her a Filmfare award for best actress.

Kaushal also essayed the lead role in the movie adaptation of Premchand's famous novel "Godaan".

With Manoj Kumar's 1967 hit "Upkar", she transitioned to motherly parts on screen. She was just 40 at the time.

Kaushal went on to star in Kumar's other hit films such as "Purab Aur Paschim", "Sanyasi", "Shor", "Roti Kapda Aur Makaan", "Dus Numbari" and "Santosh". PTI SMR ATR ATR ATR