When Sunil Dutt proposed to Nargis at Marine Drive, he feared his conservative mother’s disapproval but got a surprise ‘yes’ and her blessing

A recently resurfaced video from Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai, hosted by Farooq Sheikh, has brought back memories of late actor Sunil Dutt recalling how he proposed to Nargis. Dutt shared that he once offered to drop her in his Fiat at Marine Drive, and during the drive, he gathered the courage to express his feelings.

Proposal at Marine Drive

“I had a Fiat, I told her that I will drop her in Marine Drive. She said, ‘yes’ casually and she agreed. I drove the car and when I took a turn, I said that, ‘I want to tell you something’. She told me, ‘Yes, tell me Birju’. She used to call me Birju. I said, ‘I want to marry you’,” Sunil recalled.


He added that Nargis did not respond immediately, which left him anxious. “She became quiet. The car was moving and I was driving and I did not dare to speak as she didn’t say yes or no. I dropped her off at Marine Drive and I decided that if she does not say yes then I will go to my village and take up farming.”

A surprise ‘yes’

Sunil revealed that the confirmation came to him in an unexpected way. “One night I came home and my sister was laughing. She said, ‘Congratulations’. I asked her, ‘Congratulations for what?’. She said, ‘You did not tell me’,” he said. Perplexed, he asked what she meant, and his sister revealed that Nargis had accepted the proposal.

His mother’s approval

The late actor shared that his mother’s approval was crucial, as she was extremely conservative. “My sister told me that Nargis has asked me to speak to my mother about the marriage. My mother is the most conservative lady. I told my mother that if she allows then I will marry Nargis.”

To his relief, his mother Kulwanti Devi Dutt supported his decision. “She said that I have not made your life but you have made it on your own. I know that you will not make any mistakes in life and that is how the entire thing started.”

A marriage that became legendary

Sunil Dutt and Nargis tied the knot on March 11, 1958, in an intimate ceremony. The wedding was followed by a reception attended by close friends from the industry, marking the beginning of a partnership that went on to become one of Indian cinema’s most cherished love stories.