Bollywood's veteran actor Kamini Kaushal, who starred opposite the triumvirate of Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor, breathed her last at her Mumbai home at the age of 98, a close family friend said.

Amongst the industry's highest paid actresses in late 1940s and early 1950s, Kamini Kaushal later shifted doing character roles in 1960s. Her last screen appearance was in Aamir Khan's 2022 film "Laal Singh Chaddha" at the age of 95, marking a 76-year-old career under the arch light.

"She died at her Mumbai home late on Thursday (November 13) night. She would have turned 99 in February," Sajan Narain, a close friend of the family, said, adding she is survived by three sons.

She made her debut with Chetan Anand's 1946 film "Neecha Nagar" which won the Palm d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. She appeared in films like "Nadiya Ke Paar" (1948), "Ziddi" (1948), "Shabnam" (1949), "Biraj Bahu" (1954), "Jailor" (1958) and "Shaheed" (1965). She also played the role of Shahid Kapoor's grandmother in the 2019 film "Kabir Singh".

Born as Uma Sood, Kamini once said in an interview that she was "bullied" into the world of cinema after she finished her graduation in English honours from Lahore. "I was studying at Lahore's Kinnaird College for Women then, and my first reaction was 'no'. I had heard from somewhere that the film industry was not a good place for girls," she had said.

It was rumoured that Kamini and Dilip Kumar were in love with each other. But Kamini married her brother-in-law since she had promised her dying sister that she would take care of her two daughters.

Kamini worked with Raj Kapoor in his first film "Jail Yatra" in 1947 and later was also a part of RK Films' first film "Aag".

Among the movies featuring Kamini are "Do Raaste" (1969), "Prem Nagar" (1974) and "Maha Chor" (1976). One of her memorable roles at the time was in "Shaheed" (1965). She also appeared in Shah Rukh Khan-starrer "Chennai Express" in 2013.