Rolls-Royce is considered the ultimate symbol of luxury and class when it comes to automobiles. You need more than just money to buy one because in many cases, the company determines if it wants to sell a car to you. Hence, the owners of a Rolls Royce are usually the elites - from former royals to film stars.
In India, several top film stars own some model of the Rolls Royce. But an unusual name started this trend, and that too, almost 60 years ago. ( Also read: Nadira: A confident woman and sophisticated vamp ) First Indian actor to own Rolls Royce Today, stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Vijay, and Chiranjeevi own Rolls Royces.
But they were all a few decades too late to be the first. Nadira reached there first. Nadira, born Florence Ezekiel, was one of the top stars of Bollywood in the 1950s and 60s.
She was also one of the first celebrities in the country (and certainly the first actor) to own a Rolls Royce car, which she bought in the 60s. Nadira began her career in films as a child artist at the age of 11 but shot to fame in 1952 with Mehboob Khan's Aan. As a young star, she delivered hits like Shree 420 and Dil Apna Aur Preet Parayi.
At that stage of her career, she was among the highest-paid Indian actresses, even though she often played the second lead. However, by the end of the 1960s, she became typecast in playing the vamp to more demure-looking female leads. Nadira later moved to supporting roles, appearing in hits like Pakeezah and Ju.
