Alda Sinha (born 11 November 1936), better known by her

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Mala Sinha is a former

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

n actress who has worked in

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

and

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films. Initially starting her career with regional cinema, she went on to become a top leading actress in

Hindi Cinema Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

in the late 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s. In a career spanning four decades, Mala Sinha rose to prominence with films like

Guru Dutt Vasanth Kumar Shivashankar Padukone (9 July 1925 – 10 October 1964), better known as Guru Dutt, was an Indian film director, producer, actor, choreographer, and writer.Rajadhyaksha, Ashish, and Paul Willemen. 9941998''Encyclopedia of India ...

's ''

Pyaasa ''Pyaasa'' (; ) is a 1957 Indian Hindi drama film directed and produced by Guru Dutt, who stars alongside Mala Sinha, Waheeda Rehman, Rehman, and Johnny Walker. Set in Calcutta, it focuses on the disillusioned Urdu poet Vijay (Dutt), whose ...

'' (1957) and

Yash Chopra Yash Raj Chopra (27 September 1932 21 October 2012) was an Indian film director and film producer who worked in Hindi cinema. The founding chairman of the film production and distribution company Yash Raj Films, Chopra was the recipient of ...

's '' Dhool Ka Phool'' (1959). Later, she starred in over hundred film productions including '' Phir Subah Hogi'' (1958), ''

Hariyali Aur Rasta ''Hariyali Aur Rasta'' (English: The Greenery and the Road) is a 1962 Hindi film produced and directed by Vijay Bhatt. It stars Manoj Kumar and Mala Sinha in lead roles. The film has music by Shankar Jaikishan. The film was the fourth highest gr ...

'', ''

Anpadh Anpadh (Hindi: अनपढ़, Urdu: اَنپڑھ, translation: ''illiterate'') is a 1962 Hindi film. It stars Balraj Sahni, Dharmendra, Mala Sinha, Shashikala. Actress Bindu made her first prominent appearance in this film with the song Jiya ...

'' (both 1962), '' Dil Tera Deewana'' (1962), '' Gumrah'', '' Bahurani'' (both 1963), '' Jahan Ara'' (1964), ''

Himalay Ki God Mein ''Himalay Ki God Mein'' () is a 1965 Indian Hindi-language film directed by Vijay Bhatt starring Manoj Kumar and Mala Sinha, with Shashikala in a supporting role. The film won the Filmfare Best Movie Award and was a "Superhit" at the box office, ...

'' (1965), '' Aasra'' (1966), '' Ankhen'', '' Do Kaliyan'' (both 1968) and '' Maryada'' (1971) . She was known as the "daring diva" and "torch bearer of women's cinema" for essaying strong female centric and unconventional roles in a range of movies considered ahead of her times. Having received multiple awards and nominations, she was given the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018. Mala Sinha was constantly paired in roles opposite Uttam Kumar,

Kishore Kumar Kishore Kumar (born as Abhas Kumar Ganguly (); 4 August 1929 – 13 October 1987) was an Indian playback singer and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest, most influential and dynamic singers in the history of Indian music. He ...

Dev Anand Dharamdev Pishorimal Anand (26 September 1923 – 3 December 2011), better known as Dev Anand, was an Indian actor, writer, director and producer known for his work in Hindi cinema, through a career that spanned over six decades. He was ...

Dharmendra Dharam Singh Deol (born 8 December 1935), also known mononymously as Dharmendra, is an Indian actor, producer and politician who is known for his work in Hindi films. Known as the first " He-Man" of Bollywood, Dharmendra has worked in over 30 ...

Raaj Kumar Raaj Kumar (born Kulbhushan Pandit; 8 October 1926 3 July 1996) was an Indian actor who worked in Hindi films. He appeared in the Oscar-nominated 1957 film '' Mother India'' and starred in over 70 Hindi films in a career that spanned over fo ...

Rajendra Kumar Rajendra Kumar Tuli (20 July 1927 – 12 July 1999) was an Indian actor who starred in Bollywood films. Starting his career in 1949, he appeared in more than 80 films in a career spanning over four decades. He was popularly known as the 'Jubil ...

, Biswajeet,

Manoj Kumar Harikrishan Goswami (born 24 July 1937), better known by his screen name Manoj Kumar, is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, lyricist and editor who worked in Hindi cinema. He is known for acting and making films with patriotic theme ...

and

Rajesh Khanna Rajesh Khanna () (; born Jatin Khanna; 29 December 1942 – 18 July 2012) was an Indian actor, film producer and politician who worked in Hindi films. He is called as the "First Superstar of Hindi cinema", he consecutively starred in a record ...

. She was the highest-paid actress from 1958 to 1965 with

Vyjayanthimala Vyjayanthimala (born 13 August 1936) is a former Indian actress, dancer and parliamentarian. She is the recipient of several accolades, including two BFJA Awards and five Filmfare Awards. She made her screen debut at the age of thirteen wit ...

, and second with

from 1966 to 1967, and then shared the second spot with Sharmila Tagore from 1968 to 1971, and third position with Sadhana and

Nanda Nanda may refer to: Indian history and religion * Nanda Empire, ruled by the Nanda dynasty, an Indian royal dynasty ruling Magadha in the 4th century BCE ** Mahapadma Nanda, first Emperor of the Nanda Empire ** Dhana Nanda (died c. 321 BCE), last ...

in 1972–73.

Early life

Mala Sinha was born to Christian Nepali parents after they immigrated to West Bengal, India from the Nepalese plains. Her father's name was Albert Sinha. Mala's initial name was Alda and her friends at school in Calcutta (now Kolkata) used to tease her by calling her Dalda (a brand of vegetable oil), so she changed her name to Baby Nazma on getting her first assignment as a child artiste. Later on, as an adult actor, she changed her name to Mala Sinha. As a child, she learnt dancing and singing. Although she was an approved singer of

All India Radio All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All ...

, she has never done playback singing in films. As a singer, she has done stage shows in many languages from 1947 to 1975.

Career

Mala Sinha started her career as child artist in Bengali films – ''Jai Vaishno Devi'' followed by ''Shri Krishan Leela'', ''Jog Biyog'' and ''Dhooli''. Noted Bengali director Ardhendu Bose saw her acting in a school play and took permission from her father to cast her as a heroine in his Bengali film ''Roshanara'' (1952), her cinematic debut. After acting in a couple of films in Calcutta, Mala Sinha went to Bombay for a

film. There she met Geeta Bali, a noted Bollywood actress, who was charmed by her and introduced her to director Kidar Sharma. Sharma cast her as a heroine in his ''Rangeen Ratein''. Her first Hindi film was ''Badshah'' opposite Pradeep Kumar, then came ''Ekadashi'', a mythological film opposite Trilok Kapoor. Both films did not do well, but her lead role in Kishore Sahu's ''Hamlet'', paired opposite Pradeep Kumar, fetched her rave reviews in spite of it failing at the box office. Films such as ''Lai Batti'' (actor Balraj Sahni's only directorial venture), ''

Nausherwan-E-Adil ''Nausherwan-E-Adil'' () also called ''Farz Aur Mohabbat'', is a 1957 Indian costume action drama Hindi/ Urdu film directed by Sohrab Modi. Produced by Minerva Movietone, it had music composed by C. Ramchandra with lyrics by Parwaiz Shamshi. T ...

'' where she starred as the fair maiden Marcia in Sohrab Modi's romance about forbidden love and ''Phir Subah Hogi'', which was director Ramesh Saigal's adaptation of Dosteovsky's '' Crime and Punishment'' established Mala Sinha's reputation as a versatile actress who took the maximum career risks by accepting unconventional roles. She used to sing for

; she was not allowed to sing playback (even for herself) in the movies with the lone exception being 1972's '' Lalkar''. In the 1950s, she had string of hits opposite Pradeep Kumar such as ''

Fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fash ...

'' (1957), ''

Detective A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads th ...

'' (1958) and ''

Duniya Na Mane Duniya may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Duniya'' (1968 film), a Hindi romantic thriller * ''Duniya'' (1984 film), a Hindi film * ''Duniya'' (2007 film), an Indian Kannada-language film * ''Duniya'' (album), a 1997 album by Raageshwa ...

'' (1959). The films she did with Pradeep Kumar were men-oriented. In 1957, noted Bollywood actor and director

cast Mala Sinha in his film ''

'' (1957) in a role originally intended for

Madhubala Madhubala (born Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi; 14 February 1933 – 23 February 1969) was an Indian actress and producer who worked in Hindi-language films. She ranked as one of the highest-paid entertainers in India in the post-independence era ...

. Mala Sinha performed in the relatively unsympathetic part of an ambitious woman who chooses to marry a rich man (played by actor Rehman) and have a loveless marriage, rather than a poor, unsuccessful poet; her impoverished lover (played by Guru Dutt) whom she ditches. ''Pyaasa'' remains to this day a classic in the history of Indian cinema and a turning point for Sinha. After ''Pyaasa'', her major successes were '' Phir Subah Hogi'' (1958) and

's directorial debut '' Dhool Ka Phool'', (1959) that elevated her into a major dramatic star. She was part of many successful movies from 1958 to the early '60s such as ''Parvarish'' (1958), ''

Ujala Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) was a project to distribute efficient LED lighting, launched by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi on 5 Jan 2015. The project is spearheaded by the Energy Efficiency Services Limited. In non-subs ...

'', ''Main Nashe Main Hoon'', ''

'', '' Love Marriage'' (1959), '' Bewaqoof'' (1960), ''

Maya Maya may refer to: Civilizations * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (Ethiopia), a popul ...

'' (1961), ''

'', '' Dil Tera Deewana'' (1962), ''

'' and '' Bombay Ka Chor'' (1962). She consistently did lead roles in Bengali films throughout 1950's to 1970's. Her performance in films like Lookochoori (1958) opposite

and Kelaghar (1959),Saathihaara and Shohorer Itikotha. Sinha’s career's best performances were in '' Bahurani'' (1963), '' Gumrah'', ''

Gehra Daag ''Gehra Daag'' () is a 1963 Indian Hindi-language romantic crime drama film directed by O. P. Ralhan. A moderate box-office success, the film became the ninth highest earning film of 1963, earning an approximate gross of Rs.1,40,00,000 and a n ...

'', ''

Apne Huye Paraye ''Apne Huye Paraye'' is a 1964 Indian Bollywood film produced and directed by Ajit Chakraborty. It stars Manoj Kumar and Mala Sinha in pivotal roles. Plot Young Rekha lives with her widowed mother (Dulari). The five-year-old Lata, who is Rekh ...

'', ''Nayi Roshni'' and '' Jahan Ara''. Apart from pairing with Pradeep Kumar, her pairings opposite

Biswajit Biswajit Chatterjee (born 14 December 1936), known mononymously as Biswajit, is an Indian actor, producer, director, singer and politician known for his work in Hindi and Bengali cinema. Early career After films in Calcutta including ''Ma ...

and

in woman-oriented films were appreciated by audiences, with her work opposite Biswajit being the most popular. With Raaj Kumar, she gave box office hits like ''Phool Bane Angaare'', '' Maryada'' and '' Karmayogi'' and opposite

, gave commercial successes like ''

'', ''

'' and ''

Himalaya Ki God Mein ''Himalay Ki God Mein'' () is a 1965 Indian Hindi-language film directed by Vijay Bhatt starring Manoj Kumar and Mala Sinha, with Shashikala in a supporting role. The film won the Filmfare Best Movie Award and was a "Superhit" at the box office, ...

''. The hits with

were ''

Devar Bhabhi ''Devar Bhabhi'' is a 1958 Hindi film. It stars Balraj Sahni, Rajendra Kumar, Mala Sinha Alda Sinha (born 11 November 1936), better known by her stage name Mala Sinha is a former Indian actress who has worked in Hindi, Bengali and Nepali fi ...

'', '' Dhool Ka Phool'', ''Patang'', '' Geet'' and '' Lalkar''. With

, her popular movies include '' Aasra'', '' Night in London'', ''

Do Kaliyaan ''Do Kaliyaan'' () is a 1968 Indian Hindi-language film directed by R. Krishnan and S. Panju. The film stars Mala Sinha, Biswajeet, Mehmood, Om Prakash and Neetu Singh. It is a remake of the 1965 Tamil film '' Kuzhandaiyum Deivamum'' which itsel ...

'', '' Tamanna'', ''Nai Roshni'' and critically acclaimed films '' Pyar Ka Sapna'', ''

Paisa Ya Pyaar ''Paisa Ya Pyar'' () is a 1969 Indian Hindi-language film directed by Jawar N. Sitaraman. The film stars Ashok Kumar, Biswajeet, Mala Sinha, Tanuja and Shashikala. The lyrics were written by Sahir Ludhianvi. The film was a remake of the Tami ...

'', '' Jaal'' and ''

Phir Kab Milogi ''Phir Kab Milogi'' () is a 1974 Bollywood romance film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. The music for the film was composed by R.D. Burman. Plot Sapna (Mala Sinha) is having fun meeting her employee Rajesh (Biswajit) as Paro, and then, in ...

''. She did ten films with

. In 2007, they won the Star Screen Lifetime Achievement Award, calling them on stage together giving due respect to their popularity as a pair who have tasted box office success. In her successful 1960s and 1970s roles, she was cast opposite her seniors like

Raj Kapoor Raj Kapoor (pronunciation: �aːd͡ʒ kəpuːɾ born Shrishti Nath Kapoor; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered one of th ...

and Pradeep Kumar, and the emerging stars from late 1950s like

Shammi Kapoor Shammi Kapoor (born Shamsher Raj Kapoor; (pronounced �ʌmːi kʌpuːɾ 21 October 1931 – 14 August 2011) was an Indian actor who worked in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of two Filmfare Awards, winning in the categories of Best Actor for ...

and

. She worked with many newcomers of her era including

Sunil Dutt Sunil Dutt (born Balraj Dutt; 6 June 1929 — 25 May 2005) was an Indian actor, film producer, director and politician. Dutt was one of the major stars of Hindi cinema in the late 1950s and 1960s and continued to star in many successful film ...

, Sanjay Khan,

Jeetendra Ravi Kapoor ( ; born 7 April 1942), known mononymously by his screen name Jeetendra, is an Indian actor who is known for his work in Hindi cinema. He also serves as the chairman of the Balaji Telefilms and Balaji Motion Pictures. Early l ...

and

Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; born as Amitabh Shrivastav; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most succe ...

. Her character's power was as much as the heroes and most of the time her roles were more powerful than the hero. In most of her films from the 1960s, she got first billing in the credits, even before the heroes, with the exceptions being those with

, Pradeep Kumar. In 1966, Mala Sinha went to Nepal to act in a Nepali film called ''

Maitighar ''Maitighar'' ( Maternal home) is a 1966 Nepali film directed by B.S. Thapa. It was the third Nepali film produced and the first featured film under a private banner. This film features bollywood actress Mala Sinha in the lead role with Nepali a ...

'' when the

film industry The film industry or motion picture industry comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking, i.e., film production companies, film studios, cinematography, animation, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, ...

was still in its infancy. This was the only Nepali film she did in her career. The hero was an estate owner called Chidambar Prasad Lohani. Soon after, she married C. P. Lohani with the blessings of her parents. From the beginning, theirs was a long-distance marriage with Lohani based in

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...

to look after his business and Mala Sinha living in Bombay with their daughter Pratibha. She continued acting after her marriage. She has been a heroine in many

films. In Bengali films, she has acted with

and Uttam Kumar. Her last Bengali work as a female lead was '' Kabita'' (1977) which featured Ranjit Mullick and

Kamal Haasan Kamal Haasan (born 7 November 1954) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, playback singer, television presenter and politician who works mainly in Tamil cinema and has also appeared in some Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Kannada and Bengali f ...

; it was a super-hit at the box office. She is noted for her strong women-oriented roles in films such as '' Dhool Ka Phool'', '' Suhag Sindoor'', ''

'', '' Phir Subah Hogi'', ''

'', '' Bahurani'', '' Aasra'', ''

'', '' Gumrah'', '' Ankhen'', ''

Baharen Phir Bhi Aayengi ''Baharen Phir Bhi Aayengi'' () is a 1966 Hindi-language romantic-tragedy film produced by Guru Dutt and directed by Shaheed Latif. It stars Dharmendra, Mala Sinha, Tanuja, Deven Verma, Rehman, Johnny Walker in lead roles. The film is still re ...

'', ''

'', ''Holi Aayi Re'', ''Nai Roshni'', '' Mere Huzoor'', '' Kangan'', '' Archana'', '' Maryada'' amongst others. Of her repertoire, she said in 2001, she was rather partial to '' Jahan Ara'' (1964), a historical movie that

Meena Kumari Meena Kumari (born Mahjabeen Bano; 1 August 1933 – 31 March 1972) was an Indian actress and poet, who worked in Hindi films. Popularly known as ''The Tragedy Queen'', she was active between 1939 and 1972. Kumari is widely considered one of ...

passed on to her: From 1974, she cut down on her assignments as the lead actress in Hindi films. She accepted strong character roles in films like ''

36 Ghante ''36 Ghante'' is a 1974 Hindi film directed by Raj Tilak. It stars Raaj Kumar, Mala Sinha, Sunil Dutt, Vijay Arora, Parveen Babi, Ranjeet, Danny Denzongpa in pivotal roles. It is a remake of the 1955 American film '' The Desperate Hours'', which ...

'' (1974), '' Zindagi'' (1976), '' Karmayogi'' (1978), ''

Be-Reham ''Be-Reham'' is a 1980 Indian Hindi-language film directed by Raghunath Jhalani and produced by K. D. Shorey. It stars Sanjeev Kumar, Mala Sinha, Shatrughan Sinha, Reena Roy in lead roles and music by Laxmikant-Pyarelal. This film was remade a ...

'' (1980), ''

Harjaee ''Harjaee'' (meaning disloyal, unfaithful) is a 1981 Indian Bollywood film directed by Ramesh Behl. It stars Shammi Kapoor, Mala Sinha, Randhir Kapoor and Tina Munim in pivotal roles. Ajay Nath comes from a wealthy family, and is prone to play ...

'' (1981), '' Yeh Rishta Na Tootay'', '' Babu (film)'' and '' Khel'', which were popular. In the early 1990s Madhuri Dixit was promoted as the "new Mala Sinha" in magazines. But, after 1994, she completely withdrew from the industry and has given very few public appearances. In ''Dhool Ka Phool'' and B.R. Chopra's ''Gumrah'', she played the first unwed mother and adulterous wife respectively in Hindi cinema. As she grew older, she gracefully moved on to doing character roles that befitted her age. She was last seen in '' Zid'' (1994). Though Mala evinced as much interest in her daughter Pratibha's career as her father did in her career, she was unable to achieve the same success for her daughter.

Personal life

Mala Sinha was born to Nepali parents after they immigrated to

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...

, India from the Nepalese plains. Sinha married Nepali actor Chidambar Prasad Lohani of Kumaoni

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers ( ...

ethnicity in 1966. The couple met when they worked together in the Nepali film ''

'' (1966). Lohani had an estate agency business. After her marriage, she used to come and stay in Mumbai to shoot films while her husband stayed in Nepal running his business. She has one daughter from the marriage:

Pratibha Sinha Pratibha Sinha is a former Indian actress working in Bollywood movies and the daughter of Mala Sinha, a former Bollywood actress herself and Mala Sinha was one of the highest paid and most popular actress back in late 50s 60s and 70s. She mad ...

, who is a former Bollywood actress. From the late 1990s, the couple and their daughter have been residing in a bungalow in Bandra, Mumbai. Her mother lived in her house till her death in April 2017. Her daughter takes care of stray dogs and cats at Mala Sinha's home.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

;Other honours * 2004 - Sikkim Samman Award by

Government of Sikkim The Government of Sikkim also known as the State Government of Sikkim is the subnational government of the Indian state of Sikkim and its 6 districts, created by the National Constitution as the legislative, executive and judicial authority t ...

* 2005 -

National Film Awards (Nepal) The National Film Awards is the most prominent and prestigious award of Nepali cinema. The first National Film Award was held in 2005, in the presence of His Majesty's King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah. The event is held at the residence of the presi ...

- Critics Award - ''

'' * 2013 - Kelvinator GR8! Women Awards: Lifetime Achievement Award * 2017 - LG Film Award - Special Honour for ''

'' * 2021 - Deenanath Mangeshkar Vishesh Purashkar: Contribution in Cinema

References

External links

* *
A BiographyMala Sinha's love story-The Times Of IndiaMala Sinha – Random thoughts on life as an actress
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sinha, Mala Indian film actresses Actresses from Kolkata Living people Actresses in Bengali cinema Actresses in Hindi cinema Actresses in Nepali cinema Nepalese Christians Indian Christians Indian Gorkhas Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award winners 20th-century Indian actresses 1936 births Indian people of Nepalese descent