Nutan was not only a legendary actress identified for her highly effective roles — she was additionally a girl of immense dignity and braveness off-screen. Whereas she gained hearts together with her performances, she didn’t hesitate to name out injustice when it crossed private boundaries. One such second got here when she shockingly slapped co-star Sanjeev Kumar in public, standing up for her self-respect in an business that usually silenced girls. This is what actually occurred.Nutan and Sanjeev Kumar had labored collectively in a number of movies and shared a pleasant rapport. Nevertheless, issues took a flip when rumours of a romantic relationship between them started circulating. Deeply upset by the false gossip, Nutan later discovered from a trusted supply that it was Sanjeev Kumar himself who had sparked the rumours.In a 1972 interview with Stardust, Nutan revealed the surprising purpose behind slapping her co-star Sanjeev Kumar on the units of Devi. She accused him not solely of spreading false rumours about their alleged affair but in addition of claiming that they have been residing collectively and planning to hunt custody of her son, Mohnish Bahl.Fed up with the swirling rumours, Nutan lastly determined to confront Sanjeev Kumar face-to-face. Nevertheless, when she approached him, his dismissive perspective solely made issues worse. In keeping with Nutan, his detached physique language and informal tone got here throughout as disrespectful. That was the ultimate straw. Unable to carry again her frustration, she slapped him publicly and gave him a stern piece of her thoughts.Following the slap incident, Nutan confronted skilled setbacks as many within the business misunderstood her actions and didn’t trouble to listen to her facet. She misplaced a number of initiatives, however remained agency in her stance. When requested if she regretted slapping Sanjeev Kumar, she firmly mentioned no, including that he had no proper to tarnish her status. Throughout this troublesome interval, it was her husband Rajnish Bahl who stood by her, providing unwavering assist and serving to her address the emotional toll.After being recognized with breast most cancers, Nutan selected to step away from the movie business. She returned the signing quantity for all her upcoming initiatives and turned in the direction of spirituality, progressively distancing herself from shut ones. In 1990, her situation worsened because the most cancers unfold to her liver. On February 21, 1991, Nutan handed away, forsaking a legacy of power and beauty after a courageous battle with the illness.