her family, she accepted movie offers that stemmed from her dancing abilities. Rehman's first performance on stage as a dancer in earlier days was at Brahmapur's Ganjam Kala Parishad organised by her uncle Dr. Ferose Ali who was a famous doctor and social activist in Brahmapur. Acting career Beginnings and breakthrough Rehman made her film debut with the 1955 Telugu films Rojulu Maraayi and Jayasimha. For the former, she appeared as a dancer in the song "Eruvaka Saagaro". In the year following, Rehman made a cameo in the Tamil film Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum (1956). Based on the folktale Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, it is the first Tamil film to be colourised. In the mid-1950s, Rehman established a working relationship with Dev Anand. They had a number of successful films to their credit which include Solva Saal (1958); Suresh Kohli of The Hindu writes on her performance in Solva Saal, "Though barely 20 then and only in her fourth Hindi release, Rehman demonstrates her class: both in serious scenes demanding intensity and through sparkling, mischievous eye movements during lighter moments." Collaborations with Guru Dutt Rehman's performances caught the eye of Hindi filmmaker Guru Dutt, whom Rehman considered her mentor. Dutt brought her to Bombay (current-day Mumbai) and cast her as Kamini in the crime thriller C.I.D. (1956). Because of actresses such as Madhubala, Nargis and Meena Kumari, Rehman was asked to use a stage name, reasoning that her name should be "something sexy" however she refused to do, and kept her birth name. Dutt would next cast her in her first lead role in the drama Pyaasa (1957), where she portrayed a prostitute; the film was a commercial success, and it has been regarded by critics as one of the greatest films ever made. Continued collaborations with Dutt include the noir film 12 O'Clock (1958), the romantic drama Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), and the Muslim social film Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960), all of which earned her critical praise. Rehman and Dutt's last collaboration was the romantic drama Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962), which starred Dutt, Kumari, and Rehman herself in a supporting role. The film was a major success, being lauded by both Indian and international critics. This earned Rehman her first Filmfare nomination in the category of Best Supporting Actress, meanwhile the film itself received nominations for the Golden Bear at the 13th Berlin International Film Festival and