Chand Usmani
Indian actress

Chand Usmani (born Chand Bibi Khanum Usmani; 3 January 1933 – 26 November 1989) was an Indian actress in Hindi films from the 1950s to the late 1980s. She won the 1971 Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. She is best remembered for playing self-sacrificing wives and mothers.
Biography
Chandbibi Khanam Usmani was born on 3 January 1933 in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, into a Pashtun family. She married Mukul Dutt (director of Aan Milo Sajna), with whom she had a son, Roshan. She ran a halfway house at her home in Mahim for runaway girls who had come to Mumbai seeking a career in films. She died in Mumbai on 26 November 1989.
Career
Chand Usmani came to notice by participating in a talent contest called 'Kardar-Kolynos-Teresa Contest' in 1949, winning second place. In 1953, she debuted as the heroine in Jeewan Jyoti opposite Shammi Kapoor (his debut too). She also starred in Barati, Baap Re Baap and Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan, and had major roles in several other films, including Rangeen Raten, Naya Daur, Prem Patra and Pehchan.
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Chronology provides the most reliable spine for this subject; interpretation should follow only after identities and dates are secure. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 31, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q33959726. VIAF identifies the subject as 169680688. The Library of Congress control number is no2014127880. 1 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1933, 1989, 1971 and 1949.
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This entry incorporates text from “Chand Usmani” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.