In a career spanning four decades, she appeared in more than 80 films, that ranged in genre from urban romances to socio-realist dramas.

Regarded as one of the finest actresses in the history of Indian cinema, Nutan was noted for her naturalistic acting in parts of conflicted women often deemed unconventional.

Some of her other films of this period include Anari (1959), Chhalia (1960), Tere Ghar Ke Saamne (1963), Khandan (1965), Saraswatichandra (1968), Anuraag (1972) and Saudagar (1973).

[5] Nutan Samarth-Bahl was born on 4 June 1936 in Bombay into a Marathi Hindu family as the eldest of four children to director-poet Kumarsen Samarth[6][7] and his actress wife and filmmaker Shobhna.

She took part in Snehal Bhatkar's soundtrack for the film, singing the song "Tujhe Kaisa Dulha Bhaaye Re".

The Motion Picture Magazine gave a scathing review of the film but took note of Nutan's "fine performance", which showed "great promise".

"[21] Ravindra Dave's suspense thriller Nagina (1951) followed, and Nutan's performance in the film gained her greater recognition.

[22] Directed by Zia Sarhadi, the film dealt with the trials and tribulations of a middle-class family and starred Nutan as the daughter Paro, an aspiring writer who suffers from tuberculosis.

[28] In 1959, she starred in two hit films, Anari (with Raj Kapoor) and Bimal Roy's Sujata (with Sunil Dutt), for which she won her second Filmfare Award for Best Actress.

[30][31] In 1960, she starred opposite Raj Kapoor once again in Manmohan Desai's Chhalia,[32] which earned her a Filmfare nomination for Best Actress.

In a film review at the time, Filmfare wrote: "As the unfortunate girl disowned by her relatives for no fault of hers, Nutan puts over a superb and memorable portrayal.

"[33][34] She formed a popular screen couple with co-star Dev Anand and the two acted in four films together – Paying Guest (1957), Baarish (1957), Manzil (1960) and Tere Ghar Ke Samne (1963).

[35][36] "Nutan’s masterful performance of a jilted young woman who murders her lover’s wife in Bimal Roy’s classic is arguably the best acting by a lead actress in Indian cinema.

Bimal Roy's socio-realist Bandini (1963) is based on Tamasi, a Bengali novel by Jarasandha, and stars Nutan as Kalyani, a young prisoner convicted for poisoning the wife of her lover (Ashok Kumar).

[39] Having quit acting after marriage, Nutan was persuaded to accept the part by Roy, who asserted that he would abandon the project if she refused.

[41][39] Bandini was a major critical success, and Nutan received career-best reviews for her portrayal, which is often cited as one of the finest performances of Indian cinema.

[45] Author and critic Dinesh Raheja wrote: "Sans screaming hysteria-niks, Nutan puts across one of the finest performances seen on Hindi screen.

In 1978, she made an astonishing return to the screen as the righteous Sanjukta Chauhan in Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1978).

Following this, she starred in Saajan Ki Saheli (1981), as an ignorant, jealous wife to a husband who knowingly befriends the daughter she abandoned at childbirth.

She also gave a stellar performance as Kaliganj Ki Bahu in the TV serial Mujrim Hazir, her only role on the small screen.

[63] In February 1991, she was admitted to Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai after she fell ill. At that time, she was filming Garajna and Insaniyat.

Nutan goes through all the phases of a girl struck by love – the first flush when colour comes to her cheeks upon the mere mention of name, the happiness she feels while playing his pretend-wife.

"[79] Arushi Jain of The Indian Express stated, "The actor left an indelible mark on the minds of those who had the fortune of watching her on the silver screen."

Shantanu Ray Chaudhuri of The Telegraph noted, "Nutan essayed a range of roles that measured up both critically and as a star.

[119][120] Giving her a tribute, singer Lata Mangeshkar said, "If one has to rank the actresses by their acting prowess, the name of Nutan will be at the top.

[124] The Bimal Roy Film and Memorial Society organised a three-day retrospective to mark her 83rd birth anniversary in 2019.