Shashikala played an important role in the movie pugree (1948) also.
All the songs sung by shamshad were picturised on her while those sung
by sitara kanpuri were picturised on kamini kaushal.

YOUNG SHASHI KALA IN PUGREE (1948)


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Usha Kiran ( 1934 - March 9 2005)

She was the “pretty girl next-door” of Marathi films and also distinguished in Hindi films with her
acting prowess.She was introduced to hindi films in the year 1948 in a small role in the Dance
drama Kalpana......
She went on to act in some major films of the fifties like Daag,Patita,Badbaan etc;

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Some of her major films

Kalpana
Sarkar
Madhosh
Daag
Patita
Dost
Badshah
Baadbaan
Adhikar
Parivar
Anurag
Musafir
Nazrana
Kabuliwala
Mili
Bawarchi
Chupke chupke

She received the filmfare award for the best supporting actress in the year 1955 for
Baadbaan

She was the Former sheriff of Bombay....
Usha Kiran died of cancer in Nasik on March 9 , 2005......
Usha Kiran leaves behind her legacy in cinema with her talented actress-daughter Tanvi Azmi

i liked her in chupke chupke,i was not knowing she is mother of tanvi azmi

Do you know who is her bahu?

Uttara Mhatre.....runner up Miss India, 1982.

Do you know who was Miss India in 1982?

Pamela Singh ( Bordes)

Beats me. As for me, I had no opportunity of watching that famous film, ZEENAT which, I believe, was an earlier movie.

NASIR.

Other than Madhumati she looks lovely in Yasmin, Sangam and Amrapali.......
There were rumours about her involvement with Dilip Kumar as wel....but apparently by the time they
started shooting for Leader i hear that they were not even on talking terms, probably RaJ kapoor
had stepped in by then....

Anita Guha (1931 - June 20,2007)

Anita Guha came to Mumbai from Bengal at the age of 15 to appear in a national beauty
pageant in the '50s but stayed back to play major roles in several films.She was siged for
a few minor roles but got a leadig role opposite Shammi Kapoor in Tangewali in 1956....

She played prominent roles in films like 'Purnima' (1965), 'Pyar Ki Rahen' (1959),
'Gateway of India' (1957), 'Dekh Kabira Roya' (1957), 'Sanjog' (1961) and 'Naagin' (1976).

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Some of her prominent films
Tangewali
Ustad
Choo mantar
Dekh Kabira roya
Kavi Kalidas
Goonj uthi shehnai
Pyar ki raahen
Gateway of India
Chacha Zindabad
Sanjog
Sampoorna Ramayan
Sangeet samrat Tansen
Purnima
Jai Santoshi maa
Aradhana
Tajurba
Anita Guha rose to fame when she played the role of Sita in the mythological film
'Sampoorna Ramayan' and later starred in the mega-hit 'Jai Santoshi Maa'.

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Anita Guha did not have any children of her own, considered yesteryear actresses
Mala Sinha and Helen as her frieds.
After her husband actor Manik Dutt's death she lived all alone in Mumbai. She had
ceased working as her health had been deteriorating...
The actress, who was admitted to a private hospital , had been ailing for some time.
She died of Cardiac failure on june 20 2007...




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_____________________________________________________________________

Shubha Khote

Shubha Khote was Hindi Screen's Most well known Long standing Comedienne ....
She was a well known actress since mid fifties who has acted in nearly 140 films in a
career spanning Five decades....
It was only natural that Shobha Khote strayed into show business. Her father, Nandu Khote,
was a star on stage and in the silent movies. Durga Khote, a famous movie personality
of the yesteryear, was her aunt. The huge family home at Bombay’s Chowpatty was always full
of guests.

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Her life in her own words.....

I had a happy, carefree childhood," she says. "Ours was a big, joint family and most of my cousins
were boys. I used to play with them, run around, climb trees and was an acknowledged tomboy."
She studied at St Teresa’s Convent, Girgaum, and graduated in English Literature from Wilson
College.

Life in college was quite exciting to Khote and her brother Viju, another well-known stage, TV and
screen actor. She took to swimming and cycling, excelled in both games and set up a new record
for the one mile in cycling.
As Khote made her name in sports, her photographs began appearing in the newspapers and
magazines. Well-known director Amiya Chakraborty sent his distributor friend, Kamath,
to invite Shubha Khote for a screen test. She recalls with a giggle, "When Kamathsaab
arrived, I was in a tomboy outfit, with hair flying all round. He did not think much of me and
reported back to Amiyada," Fortunately, Amiya Chakraborty was not convinced and after
meeting her, cast her in his Seema.

The role was a challenge. Seema, which starred Nutan and Balraj Sahni was not
the run-of-the-mill Hindi movie, and Khote was pitted against two highly sensitive and intelligent
artists. But she came out with flying colours. "Amiyada told me he wanted a different kind of
actress for the role, who would be natural. I fitted the bill. In fact, he did not even give me
screen test," says shubha....

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She also had a score to settle with veteran actress Leela Chitnis, who along with her two songs,
was producing a movie. Chitnis offered Khote the lead role, on condition she would not work
elsewhere for the next five years.

"My father did not agree to this condition," she recalled. "In fact, I had cut my hair for the role
and even rehearsed enthusiastically for some weeks. And when they dropped me, I wanted to
show them the loss was theirs."

Filmistan offered her roles in Paying Guest and Champakali. PG was a big hit but Khote did not
enjoy her role, which was too negative for her liking. "I disliked the role so much that I refused
to watch the movie?" She saw it on video much later. ....
She did another film, Dekh Kabira na Roya with Amiya Chakraborty, who later died of a heart
attack. It was a shattering blow, because Chakraborty had been her friend, philosopher and guide.

"He was very good in casting," recalls Khote. "Even top stars like Dilip Kumar wanted to work with
him and gave off their best in his films."

It was Chakraborty also who found she had a flair for comedy. Even her serious roles in his films
had comic touches which were highly appreciated. And when Chhoti Bahen, an L V Prasad
release from Madras, turned out to be a megahit, Khote was earmarked for comic roles. And her
famous pairing with comedian Mehmood began.

For the next six years, films starring Shobha Khote, Mehmood and Dhumal were highly
popular and did roaring business at the box office. Sasural, Dil Ek Mandir, Dil Tera Diwana,
Bharosa and several other films celebrated jubilees.

Even Khote's negative role have often been tinged with comedy, a case in point being the
superhit, Ek Duje Ke Liye....
She worked 20 days a month in the organised film industry of Madras. "They respect people," she
says. "Everyone arrived to work on time and payment was prompt." when asked ,why she never
made it as heroine despite her good looks and undoubted acting abilities she says "Oh, I was not
enamoured of being a heroine," . " I could not dance well. My movements were stiff when most
of the time the heroines were running around trees being chased by heroes. I was doing well
as the only leading comedienne and had plenty of work. I don’t think I missed out anything
because I did not get heroine’s roles."

Her constant pairing with Mehmood were also grist for film industry gossip. Khote laughed.

"I know about it," she admitted. "Yes, we were together in so many films that people gossiped
about us. But there was a wide cultural differences between us. Of course, I knew him very well
but we were nothing but co-stars."

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Among her long list of films....

Seema(1956)
Ardhangini
Sanjog (1961)
Sasural (1961)
Suhag Sindoor (1961) .
Babar (1960)
Kanoon (1960)
Anari (1959) .
Barkha (1959)
Chhoti Bahen (1959)
Nai Raahen (1959)
Aakhri Dao (1958)
Aji Bas Shukriya (1958)
Mujrim (1958)
Champakali (1957)
Dekh Kabira Roya (1957)
Paying Guest
Dil tera diwana
Ziddi
Sanjh aur savera
Love in Tokyo
Mili
Devta
Badalthey rishtey
Naseeb
Ek dujhe ke liye
Zameer

Shobha Khote regretted that most of the present-day Hindi films offered no scope for clean
comedy. "Everything is so crude, vulgar," she complains. The dialogue is full of double-meanings.
That is why the comedian and the comedienne are almost extinct species, now," lamented the
actress.

Though she has liked acting in films like Krishan Kanhaiya, on the whole she is disillusioned with
trends in modern cinema. ‘There is no respect for verteran character actors and actresses," she
says. "We have to wait for several hours for the arrival of the lead pair. The industry does not
pay us the respect we deserve."
It was not so in the past. Nutan, with whom Shobha Khote worked in her first film, Seema, was
ever ready to help her and make her feel at ease. The late Geeta Bali was "just out of this world",
according to Khote. The heroine did not mind if her co-stars occasionally "stole" her scenes. "We
were one big, happy family in those days," she recalls with a sigh. "Juniors, character artistes,
even set hands, were treated with respect."
But she is happy that the atmosphere in the TV serials is a vast improvement. "Shooting goes
on continuously but that is an advantage," she says.

Why did she branch out into English plays?

It had a larger audience. "Of course, if a good Hindi script is available, I will be glad to work
on it," she says. But then, English plays also attract more sponsors. But shifting shouldn't be a
problem,
considering she has produced and directed even Marathi films.

Her children are well placed -- one son in the US, the second a successful sound recordist and
her daughter, Bhavna Balsaver, an award-winning TV actress.
But Shubha Khote won't settle into complacence. For her there is yet work to do, worlds to
be conquered......


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shubha is really good actress..i liked her very much in anari and swarg se sunder

1929
Leela Chitnis

1950s
Madhubala
Kamini KAushal
Nargis
Meena Kumari
Vyajanthimala
Naintara
Sadhona Bose

60s and 70s: Bouffant beauties

Mala Sinha
Asha Parekh
Waheeda Rehman
Sharmila Tagore
Babita
Sonia
Tamil actress Laxmi
Bindu
Moushmi Chatterjee
Vidya Sinha
Parveen Babi
Simi Garewal
Sonia Sahani
Saira Banu

1980s: The angry young man and the pretty women

Hema Malini
Rati Agnihotri
Swaroop Sampat
Madhavi, Tamil actress
Padmini Kolhapure
Zeenat Aman
Poonam Dhillon
Meenakshi Sheshadri
Debashree, Bengali actress
Revathi, Tamil actress
Jaya Prada
Shabana Azmi

1990s: Simple gets some attitude
Neelam
Sri Devi
Juhi Chawla
Gautami, Tamil actress
Madhuri Dixit

1996 onwards

Raveena Tandon
Pooja Bhatt
Tabu
Urmila
Karishma Kapoor
Kareena Kapoor
Rani Mukerji
Amisha Patel


these are lux faces,ofcourse its not complete one..i wanna know abt naintara,sonia etc..who were they

Not to forget her PHOOL JAISE GAAL.


NASIR.

Who were they Jassi?? I have no idea......let's hope some one more knowledgeable
will tell us about them

these actresses did ads of lux soap..
there are some south and bengali actresses too
but i have no idea abt naintara and sonia

there is sonia sahni too in list..i know her, the actress who played rishi's mother in bobby

Nirupa Roy (4 January 1931 - 13 October 2004)

Nirupa Roy will always be remebered not only as the 'mother of Bollywood' for her roles in
movies
like Gunsundari, Rani Rupmati, Deewar, Amar Akbar Anthony and many others.
She was born as Kokila on January 4, 1931 in Valsad, Gujerat, India, in the Gujerati-speaking
Balsara family.


She was married to Kamal Roy at a very young age, and shortly thereafter in 1946 both husband
and wife decided to make a career on the silver screen. They traveled to Bombay, both applied,
but only Kokila was chosen to act in a Gujerati movie, Ranakdevi, followed by Amar Raj, and
Gunsundari in 1948. She was primarily effective in creating the Gujerati film industry. This is how
Nirupa Roy the actress was born.

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She went on to act in many movies, initially as the leading lady then in various roles of a variety
of Hindu Goddesses, so much so that people actually lined up to seek her blessings. From 1970s
on she was type-cast to play the role of the mother for a number of leading actors, from
Dev Anand to Amitabh Bachchan. She was perhaps the only actresses to have played the role
of mother to Dharmendra and his son, Sunny Deol, albeit in different movies. In 1955 she acted
as Dev Anand's mother, even though she is about 8 years younger than him.

She then went on to act in movies like Do Bigha Zameen, Tangewali, and Garam Coat,with
Balraj Sahni a brand of movies which later came to be known as 'realistic movies'.
Nirupa Roy With maturity and strong character, her role was being pushed a little too early as
only being the mother and housewife. She played the role of the homely wife of Ashok Kumar in
Bhai Bhai(1956) while Shyama played the seductive mistress who lead him stray. As consolation,
she bagged Filmfare's Best Supporting Actress for the film.

The latter half of 1950s came the best phase when the devotional film Janam Janam Ke Phere.
A song from the movie topped the Binaca Geetmala countdown for that year. Slowly she started to
get better roles opposite heroes like Ashok Kumar in heroine oriented, Bedard Zamana Kya Jaane
and a memorable trilogy opposite Bharat Bhushan -- Samrat Chandragupta, Rani Rupmati and
Kavi Kalidas ~~ the last two directed by S N Tripathi had cinematic merit and unforgettable music.

Her success has been reflected in 3 awards from 1955 to 1964 for her role in Munimji, Chhaya,
and Shehnaai.

But her most memorable role was yet to come in Deewar, opposite Shashi Kapoor
and Amitabh. Dialogues for this movies, as like Sholay, are still remembered and talked about.

Throughout her career of over 60 years in movies, she has acted in over 250 movies. she did
slow down considerably in the 1980s, but did make a comeback in 1999 with Lal Badshah.

Some Memorable films

Har har mahadev
Bade bhaiyya
Lav kush
Teen batti char raaste
Naya Rasta
Do bhiga zameen
Naukari
Aulad
Tangewali
Munimji
Bhai bhai
Rani roopmati
Janam jaam ke phere
Samrat chandragupta
Kangan
Bedard zamana kya jane
Lal qila
Kaun apna kaun paraya
Grahasti
Aasra
Ram aur shyam
Jawani diwani
Deewar
Amar akbar anthony
Lal badshah
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Her marriage with Kamal Roy resulted in the birth of a son, Kiran, and 2 daughters. She was
known to be very close to her son.

She was very friendly with yesteryear actress Shyama. She received the Life time achievement
award in 2003.

Her end came quickly on October 13, 2004, at the age of 73, when she passed away after a
cardiac arrest in Bombay.

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Ah Nirupa Roy! What an outstanding actress!

She had a peculiar face - sort of a high cheek bone and large expressive eyes. The younger generations know her for motherly roles; but the older generation beheld her in many realistic movies and also the mythological ones. I particularly liked her role in RAM AUR SHYAM (1967) as the sister of Dilip Kumar. She was outstanding also in costumes and historical movies. Watch her lovelorn expressions as she looks at Jairaj in RAZIA SULTA (1961) against the background of the song DHALTI JAAYE RAAT ...

She should have been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award much earlier. But better late than never.


NASIR.

What about Samrat Chandragupt opp Bharat Bhushan singing "chahe paas ho chahe door ho"?

Also in Bedard Zamana Kya Jaane opp Ashok Kr. I watched those films just 4 the songs and the song picturisations.

Remember "Door kahin tu chal", "Kyon mile hum tum?", "Main yahaan tu kahan"
She lip-synched all three duets in the film.

Then of course there's her un4gettable role of Rani Roopmati opp Bharat Bhushan ( as Baaz Bahadur, the Sultan of Malwa ).
I loved the movie so much I watched it more than once.

She was very lucky 2 have so many golden oldies picturised on her.
Here's a brief look at some of them.

"Aa laut ke aaja mere meet"
"Phool baghiya mein"
Raat suhani jhoome jawani"
Jeewan ki beena ke taar bole"
"Jhan jhana jhan baaje payaliya"

Noorie

Yes, Yes, Noorie. The songs you mention are just unforgettable. BEDARD ZAMAANA KYA JAANE as well as RANI ROOPMATI are too well known movies of her. So also BHAI BHAI. Her role as Bhabhi of Dilip in GOPI and wife of Om Prakash provided an ample foil to the great actors.

NASIR.

I agree she has had many melodious numbers picturised on her.......you know there is a song about Raja ki sawari somethin something.....song by Lata M Picturised on her,she is singing with some kids.......i always remember that when i think of her....
By the way The song Door kahin tu chal is not her's......Jabeen and Sudesh, i have seen the movie..

Reeth, he cudn't have! Remember he was a married man!

You think he cud have done such an un-Indian thing as to enjoy a fling with his leading lady ( ies ) when he had a wife ( and kids ) at home?

Noorie

Hey com'on noorie u ar not serious Raj Kapoor was always married, even when he was so deeply involved wit Nargis and later i am told with Padmini and then with Vyjayantimala.....Wife and kids were safely tucked away at home

Mala Sinha - ( Born 11 November 1936 )

Mala Sinha’s exuberant persona glitters bright amongst the galaxy of stars of Bollywood that once
held the audiences spellbound. In the 50s and 60s, Mala Sinha by virtue of her looks and talent
created such a persona that, in a man dominated industry she was treated equally with her male
partner co-stars, when others of her ilk, had to make do with subordinating roles.....

Mala Sinha was born on 11th November 1936 in Nepal. Ardhendu Bose, a noted Bengali film
director saw her perform in a school play, and cast her in a Bengali film Roshanara (1952).
Mala was also a singer of some repute and used to sing for All India Radio, albeit she was never
allowed to sing playback (even for herself) in the movies.
Yet another Bengali film made her land up in Mumbai and she went into the tutelage of Geeta Dutt
. Geeta Dutt further introduced her to her husband, Guru Dutt, and well-known film maker
Kedar Sharma who cast her as a heroine in a less known film Rangeen Ratein.
Badshah(1954), a not so noteworthy film followed.

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It was not till the Pyaasa (1957)—the immortal classic of Guru Dutt happened that
Mala Sinha finally got a strong foothold in the film city. The immense success of the film made
Mala Sinha, a cynosure of many an eye and what followed was a decade and a half of prolific
filmmaking. Soon she found herself opposite to the great Raj Kapoor in Parvarish (1958),
Phir Subah Hogi (1958) and Main Nashein Mein Hoon (1959). She will be always known for
pensive picturisation of song Woh Subah Kabhi to Aegi in Phir Subha Hogi.The same year
she performed in Dev Anand’s Love Marriage (1959) and BR Chopra’s
Dhool Ka Phool (1959). At this stage, she went full throttle into films and did many small
films with big names and big films with small names.......

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Anpadh, Hariyali aur Raasta and Dil Tera Deewana (1962) are said to be her greatest
movies. She featured in B R Chopra's super hit Gumraah (1963). In the intervening period
she did 10 films with Biswajeet. With Dharmendera in Aankhen (1968)
Akash deep and Baharein phir bhi aayegiMala Sinha captivated the world with her
‘chinky looks’ taking on the role of a Japanese girl in Aankhen
Who can forget the tantalising Mala Sinha singing Gairon pe karam apnon pe sitam, in
a role that spelled an apotheosis of quintessential Mala Sinha.

She mostly essayed roles in strong women-oriented films. In spite of putting up commendable
performances, she has never won the Filmfare award for any of her roles.

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Mala Sinha acted in nearly 120 films including a few Bengali and Nepali films.

Some memorable films

Suhagan
Rangeen Raate
Badshah
Nausherwan e Adil
Pyaasa
Phir Subah hogi
Parvarish
Detective
Ujaala
Duniya na Maane
Dhool ka phool
Dharamputra
Hariyali aur Raasta
Gehri daag
Ek gaon ki kahani
Bahurani
Jahan ara
Baharein phir bhi aayegi
Himalay ke Godmien
Mere Huzoor
Jaal
Humsaaya
D Kaliyan
Aankhen
Neela Akash
Maryada
Sanjog
Zid

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By doing Dillagi with Sanjay Khan and Sanjog with Amitabh Bachchan
she almost covered the entire spectrum of stalwarts of 50s, 60s and 70's but nowhere was she seen
playing second fiddle to her male counterparts. At the height of her career she is said to have a
refused a role opposite Dilip Kumar in Ram Aur Shyam, just because she had to twist
and bend herself to fit the character. Who else could resist such an offer against the doyen of
Indian cinema but Mala Sinha. Subsequently, she won rave reviews for her pairing with
Rajesh Khanna in Maryada and as the grey-haired wife of Sanjeev Kumar
in Zindagi. Khel (1992) was her swan song until and unless she dons the mantle once
again for a grandma’s role. Her persona oozed perfect feminine beauty and she had a powerful
and domineering feminine presence as of a queen.

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From Raj Kapoor (‘Phir Subah Hogi’) to Rajesh Khanna (in ‘Maryaada’) she lived a glorious
career spanning four decades. Mala was Ashok Kumar’s wife in ‘Gumraah’, and in
Pooja Ke Phool’, she was his daughter. In the high-noon of her career, a relatively young
Mala dared to portray the role of Shashi Kapoor’s mother in ‘Dharmputra’ way back
in the 1960s. Much before that, she had played the role of Jabeen Jaleel’s mother in
‘Fashion’. The sensuous actress wasn’t bothered about her ‘image’, a thought which often
makes top-class heros and heroines restless. Even when she was a top draw, Mala readily
agreed to be teamed up with rank new comers, such as Sanjay Khan (in ‘Dillagi’), Jeetendra
(‘Mere Huzoor’), Dharmendra (Anpadh’) and Amitabh Bachchan (‘Sanjog’).

‘Bahu Raani’, ‘Suhaagan’ and ‘Jehan Ara’ were films of which Mala was the epicentre.
Films such as ‘Dhool Ka Phool’, ‘Gumraah’, ‘Dharmaputra’, ‘Anpadh’, ‘Himalay Ki Goad Mein’,
‘Hariyali Aur Raasta’ and ‘Phir Kab Milogi’ were also centred around her role. She acquitted
herself very creditably. She acted well even in a ‘C’-grade propaganda film such as ‘Gyaarah
Hazaar Ladkiyaan’. In ‘Zindagi’, she played an old woman to an ageing Sanjeev Kumar with elan.

Yet, movie buffs weren’t fair to Mala sinha. They thronged the theatres to see her films and
admired her talents, but dragged their feet when it came to anointing her as the queen of the
silver screen. Pitted against Meena Kumari, Nutan and Waheeda Rehman, Mala Sinha
didn’t get her due.


1966 happened to be a fateful year for Mala Sinha. She acted in a Nepali film Maiti Ghar
opposite C P Lohani. She married Lohani immediately after the film.
From the beginning theirs was a long-distance marriage with Lohani based in Kathmandu to look
after his business and she living in Bombay. Mala continued acting in films after her marriage.
A girl, Pratibha was born of the wedlock. Pratibha too dabbled with cinema when in her
twenties but could not produce a single perfomance that was pale shadow of her mother’s
towering personality.

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Now she leads a simple, reclusive life in suburban Bandra, and she is often spotted in
the market buying fresh-water fish or some furnishings for the bungalow. Sans pretense,
sans scandal, she leads a peaceful life, sans any regrets in life. She is philosophical about
daughter Pratibha�s none-too scintillating stint in films, �That was her destiny and this was mine.

That wasn't a very gentlemanly thing to do!

Noorie

To put it very very very nicely, I think Nargis has been the most exploited star of the Indian screen till date.

Regarding Vyajantimala, LEADER and SANGAM belong to the same year 1964. Here again, to say that "Raj Kapoor had stepped in" is an euphemism. SANGAM was a torrid affair. Dilip and Vyjanti were a lovely pair and very much lapped up in a positive manner by the fans. LEADER must have definitely been completed before the SANGAM Saga. But what amazes me is the pairing of Dilip and Vyjanti much later in 1969 in SANGHARSH where it is so difficult to even guess that this pair had drifted poles apart. Of course, for this movie SADHNA was considered as the leading lady and I had seen a picture of hers on the set of Sangharsh. But I guess her eye-problem must have been the reason for her exit in this film.

NASIR.

noorie it has happened with most actors......not just Raj Kapoor.....Dev Anand was
apparently involved with Zeenat Aman, even Dilip Kumar married someone called Asma ,
a married lady herself hailing from Hyderabad in the seventies and from all accounts it was
a great scandal at that time, and Rajendra Kumar who was a family man was besotted by
Saira Bano herself......
i guess it happens like anywhere else more so in their case i w'd think , what with all the adulation
and attention they receive from the opposite sex....

Reeth, Dev Anand in my opinion could be called Mr. Clean. Yes, he was enamoured of Suraiyya but the intention was noble. Regarding Zeenat Aman and other actresses vis-a-vis Dev Anand I don't remember any scandal like outrage of the type so common nowadays.

Regarding Dilip and Asma affair, I fail to understand what really hooked the Thespian to a married woman with kids. Especially, since in his heydays, he must have surely moved about with charming Maharanis and beautiful actresses (not to forget Kamini Kaushal).

Regarding Saira Banu and Rajendra Kumar the latter was already a married man. But he was a poor man's Dilip Kumar. So, possibly, Saira could've been interested in him - since those days she could never ever dream of getting Dilip Kumar - with all respects to her. In fact, it appears that this was the reason why Naseem Banu prevailed upon Dilip Kumar to marry Saira emphasing that (as some journalists put it): Islam was in danger. For Saira, it was a dream-come-true to marry her idol Dilip.

Reeth, I would like to know what really transpired between Dilip and Asma, and what was the reason for it, and what happened to Asma. Some say that she was from Canada, and that she is dead. What's story?

NASIR.

Yes, I wonder why she didn't get her due. I loved her roles in JAHAN ARA, SUHAGAN, ASRA, DO KALIYA.N, DHOOK KA PHOOL, HUMSAYA and AANKHEN the most. The role of a sacrficing or wronged woman was her forte. She was not much to look at in her earlier years: stripling body and large head. But in late fifties with Nausherwan Adil, PYAASA, etc. on wards her physical image improved.

It's a pity that her daughter Pratibha failed to come up even an inch of her great mother. Pratibha looked so ravishing. It appears that her involvement with Nadeem tarnished her image. Grapevine has it that Mala Sinha had to approach the Shiv Sena Supremo, Balasaheb Thakeray for help.


NASIR.

Noorie,

Do you konw if 'Samrat Chandragupt' or 'Bedard Zamana Kya Jaane' is releaed on VHS or DVD.

I have seen Mukesh's version of Aa laut ke aaja.. on video but no luck finding the movie.

Ramesh Bedard zamana kya jaane is available on ebay....As far as i know ,Samrat Chandragupta &
Rani roopmati have not been released yet

Nasir this is what i found on the net.....as you say the whole affair seems so strange .....

On the personal front, Dilip the star was linked with a number of actresses like Kamini Kaushal,
Madhubala, Vyjayanti Mala Bali but he never settled down until late at the age of 44 he married
the lovely young Saira Bano. He created quite a sensation in those days by marrying her, an
actress half his age. Much later he created quite a similar stir by getting married a second time to
Asma while still very much married to Saira. But his second marriage was a short lived one.

When Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu looked like they had the perfect marriage, out came his
marriage with Asma. When Saira threw a fit and asked for a quick divorce, Dilip Kumar retracted
to Saira and divorced Asma. Asma remained the loser all the way, as she had left her husband and
children to be with her beloved. She tried suicide and later went back to her former husband.

Today, Dilip and Saira are an inseparable entity, accorded much respect and adulation in the industry.
Saira, who calls him saab, is fiercely protective of him; and Dilip too actively supports her endeavours
whether is her Bhojpuri film currently under production, or her television chat show, for which he
even filled in as anchor.

Thanks Reeth - but the mystery endures: What did Dilip Kumar see in a married Asma? Of course he had the right to marry her (as muslim men can marry upto four at a time - not intending to start a debate here as to what really is the Quranic injunction).

Anyway, Saira is literally and truly what an Indian woman should be: Fitting the role of a wife,sister and mother. Even after so many years, LOVE is writ all over face and eyes. Yes, Dilip did appear once or twice in Saira's home production of a TV show - which I watched in entirety.

Here's wishing the pair all the more health, happiness and prosperity

NASIR.

Thanx Reeth!

Noorie

Reeth, you do know quite a bit of gossip.

Noorie

What if the stories are proved 2 be untrue?

Noorie

topic is not on right track

[quote name='noorie' date='Jul 20 2007, 07:48 AM' post='393552']


Thanks Reeth - but the mystery endures: What did Dilip Kumar see in a married Asma? Of course he had the right to marry her (as muslim men can marry upto four at a time - not intending to start a debate here as to what really is the Quranic injunction).

NASIR.
[/quote]

What if the stories are proved 2 be untrue?

Noorie
[/quote]

By all accounts, They are True alright

[quote name='jassi' date='Jul 20 2007, 10:11 AM' post='393584

'topic is not on right track
[/quote]

Sure jassi back on the right track now.....

Lalita Pawar ( 18 April 1916 - 24 February 1998)

Lalita Pawar has had the longest ever innings — from 1928 to 1998. She started at the
tender age of 12, in the silent era, and was acting even at the age of 82, in the digital sound era!
Her last Hindi film was released a couple of months ago. She had played Pooja Batra’s granny and
Om Puri’s mother in Bhai. Seven hundred films in 70 years. What a record!

Amba Laxman Rao Sagun was born on April 18, 1916 in an orthodox family in a little village, Yevle
in Nashik. Her father, a silk and cotton piecegoods merchant, was a rich man and Lalita Bai grew up
in the lap of luxury. The family had no contact whatsoever with movies. Young Amba was at the
most taken to a devotional Ram Leela to amuse her.

In keeping with the times, Amba was not sent to school. “In those days, girls were taught
household work,” she recalls, “and groomed to look after the family. I learnt to read and write
on my own later when I joined films. Whatever I have learnt I have learnt from life!”

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n 1927, she and her brother accompanied their father to Pune. He left the children at a friend’s
place and went out to do his work. The friend’s daughter took the children to watch a film. Lalita
thought that all the artistes in the silent film were dumb and that was why they never spoke. The
children werethen introduced to the cinema hall manager who explained that the people they saw
on screen were only characters and not real persons. To explain things better to them he took the
children to Aryan Productions. The producer of this company was the owner of this picture house.
While watching the shooting, little Amba was injured and sent to the studio dispensary to be treated.
Between sobs she demanded that she be photographed too. To pacify her, they acceeded to her
request. Then Amba wanted to view the trial footage to see how she looked in a ‘moving’ photo, so
it was screened. Nanasaheb Sarpotdar, the proprietor-director of Aryan Productions, was so impressed
with the rushes that he sent for Amba’s father. He wanted Amba to play the child’s role in his next
film Patit Uddhar.

Her father reluctantly agreed to the offer and Amba Sagun was given the screen name of Lalita.
It wasthe role of an innocent child and Lalita came up with a wonderful performance and after that there
was no looking back for her. In the next 18 years, she very successfully portrayed all types of roles,
from a beggar girl to princess, from a rani to a nani. Her films ranged from historicals to socials,
costume dramas to mythologicals, from comedies to tragedies, from mysteries to musicals, from jungle
and stunt movies to romances. Thaksen Rajputra, Prithviraj Chauhan, Gamini Kawa, Chatur Sundari,
Padmavati Parini, Song Of Life, Daler Jigar...These were some of hermemorable movies.
Thaksen Rajputra and Chatur Sundari had a record run in Mumbai theatres. In Chatur Sundari
she played 17 different charcaters.



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Lalita Bai always maintained a distance from her co-stars when on the sets. But it wasn’t because
she was a star. She was always conscious of the fact that she lacked beauty, a good eduaction and
family support. “I could see that my co-stars considered me inferior to them but I didn’t let them give
me an inferiority complex. I may not have passed out of any school but I had graduated from the school
of life. And when it came to acting I knew I was one of the best. As soon as the camera started rolling
I’d feel like a maharani. So I never let my co-stars’ attitude bother me. Instead of indulging in faltu
gossip with them, I’d spend my time between shots thinking of my work. Cinema was there in every
cell of my body... in my soul. I ate, slept and breathed films. “There were times when I was at home
chopping vegetables and I’d forget I wasn’t facing a camera. I’d forget I was at home and start
thinking I was still in the studio and was giving a shot,” she’d confessed with a smile.

One of her prominant Marathi films was Netaji Palkar (1938), made by Bhalji Pendharkar.
She also acted in New Hana Pictures’ Sant Damaji, Navyug Chitrapat’s Amrit (written by
VS Khandekar) and Chhaya Films’ Gora Kumbhar. All these were mega hits. She might have
risen to greater heights but for an accident. During the making of the film Nek Dost (which was
directed by GP Pawar whom Lalita later married), someone she knew introduced her to
Bhagwan and he requested her to suggest his name for a film. She immedaitely contacted
one of her producers and Bhagwan was given a role in her next film. “The next day we were to
shoot a scene in which Bhagwan was to slap me hard. He did. The very next minute my ear
started bleeding profusely. Chandrarao Kadam, the hero of the film, rushed to get a doctor. The
doctor gave me a wrong injection. As a result,I developed an allergy and things got progressively
worse. The left side of my face was paralysed and my left eye badly affected. I was in bed for three
years. To date they haven’t been able to conceal the damage done to my face. The doctor had
advised me to sue the film company. I didn’t. But the company threw me out of Jungle Azadi and
terminated my contract. And after three years no one was prepared to cast me as heroine, so
at the age of 25, I had to take on character roles,” Lalita Bai had once narrated her sad story.
Interestingly, she was always accident prone. She was seriously injured during the making
of Gamini Kawa when a talwar pierced her stomach during a shot. Then she fell off the horse
during Prithviraj Sanyukta and during Ravi she almost drowned. However, that slap proved to
be the most fatal and finished off her career as a star. But Lalita Bai wouldn’t give up. “I decided
to turn my liability into an asset,” she had asserted. Her first film in a character role, SM Yusuf’s
Grahasti was a golden jubilee and for her sterling performance she was awarded a gold medal
weighing five tolas. “That was one of the best moments of my career.”


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She played many more memorable roles as a character artiste. Nobody will ever forget the kelewali
in Shri 420 or Mrs D’Sa of Anari or the frustrated spinster in Professor or Mr & Mrs 55
or Raj Kapoor’s mother in Parvarish or Shammi Kapoor’s mother in Junglee or the mochi in
Amrit. “People thought that I was really an untouchable after this film and would not let me into
their house. Eventually, I had to go to Ahmednagar and get a caste certificate stating that I belonged
to the Sail community.”

Another memorable role was in V Shantaram’s Dahej. Lalita Bai had great regard for this
great maker. “Shantaram Bapu was known to be a strict disciplinarian but he was pretty easy-going
with me. In Parchhaiyan he played the blind hero on my insistence. I had also suggested his
name to Bhalji Pendharkar for Shivaji’s role. Who else would have suited the role better,” she had
pointed out.

She was also very close to Hrishikesh Mukherjee whom she called Dada during the making
of Anari. “Dada allowed me to give my shots the way I thought best because I was a veteran,”
she informed. However, a small misunderstanding created a rift between them during Anand.
While negotiations for the film were on, she was acting in four other films. Two of the films were being
made by NC Sippy and Lachman Lulla, both of whom were Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s best friends.
“Since I was going to do all these films around the same time, I requested Dada to pay me more for
this film.I couldn’t charge him less and his friends more. I told Dada I would make an adjustment when
I did his next film. But I think Dada was annoyed with my suggestion because after that he never
made another film with me. Even today I feel very hurt when I remember this incident and I wish
Dada would at least try and sort out this misunderstanding,” she had sighed.

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A major financial loss she suffered resulted in a drastic change in her lifestyle and prompted her to
shift base to Pune. And there she lead the last few years of her life, quietly, contentedly with her
husband. That day during my visit, as I was getting up to leave, Raj Prakash Gupta returned home.
The special glow in Lalita Bai’s eyes was visible as she introduced me to him. The couple seemed
very much in love, even after all these years. Today when I think of her last moments I wonder if
she relived her dying shot in Anari as she lay there, helpless and in agony, on her death bed. I wish
this time too there could have been a retake. I wish this one too had been just another believable
performance and Lalita Bai could have just got up and returned home to her husband.

Tuesday, February 24 1998, Lalita Pawar, the grand dame of Hindi cinema, was lost to
this world. Her husband was in hospital recuperating after a throat operation and Lalita Bai was
at home... alone, perhaps in great agony and completely helpless when death paid an ill-timed
visit.....A sad end for a Great Star......

she passed away in 1998,not in 1988

Sure jassi, it was a typing error.............thanks for pointing it out now i have made the necessary corrections

Yes, and under what a tragic circumstance!

I really loved her performance in:

DAAG

ANARI

JUNGLEE

PROFESSOR

MEM DIDI

GHARANA

to just name a few.

By the way, her name became synonymous with a cruel mother-in-law, and often when one found some one unreasonable or oppressive, she was told: you are LALITA PAWAR!

Nasir.

Jassi, you are leaning towards a 'one-track' mind.

Noorie