Usha Sharma is an Indian actress and dancer. She is best known for playing the title character in the

Haryanvi Haryanvi (हरियाणवी or हरयाणवी) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken primarily in the Indian state of Haryana and the territory of Delhi. Haryanvi is considered to be part of the dialect group of Western Hindi, which a ...

film '' Chandrawal''. She serves as the president of Haryana Kala Parishad (The Haryana Arts Council) and is an executive member of

Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee The Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee or (HPCC or Haryana PCC) is the state unit of the Indian National Congress (INC) in the state of Haryana, India. It is responsible for organizing and coordinating the party's activities and campaigns within ...

Life and career

Sharma was born in

Haryana Haryana () is a States and union territories of India, state located in the northern part of India. It was carved out after the linguistic reorganisation of Punjab, India, Punjab on 1 November 1966. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with les ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, 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 by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. From an early age she learned classical and

folk dance A folk dance is a dance that reflects the life of the people of a certain country or region. Not all ethnic dances are folk dances. For example, Ritual, ritual dances or dances of ritual origin are not considered to be folk dances. Ritual dances ...

, studying with

Birju Maharaj Pandit Birju Maharaj (born Brijmohan Nath Mishra; 4 February 1938 – 17 January 2022) was an Indian dancer, composer, singer, and exponent of the Lucknow "Kalka-Bindadin" Gharana of Kathak dance in India. He was a descendant of the Maharaj fa ...

Kundan Lal Gangani Kundan, meaning pure gold, is a traditional form of Indian gemstone jewellery involving a gem set with a gold foil between the stones and its mount, usually for elaborate necklaces and other jewellery. History Origins of Kundan jewelleries in ...

and

Maya Rao Maya Rao (2 May 1928 – 1 September 2014) was an Indian classical dancer, choreographer and educator, in Kathak dance. She is known for her pioneering work in Kathak choreography, especially in dance ballets, and is credited for bringing Kat ...

. During primary school she danced for

Jawaharlal Nehru Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a pr ...

. Sharma married poet Devi Shankar Prabhakar who later decided to become a film producer. He wrote the script for the 1984 film ''Chandrawal'' and cast his wife as the leading lady. Sharma also choreographed the film, drawing on her dance training. The film was a financial success, and remains the highest grossing Haryanvi film to date. The two made several less successful Haryanavi films together. Sharma later became the director of the Haryana Kala Parishad, an organization that promotes Haryanavi culture. After her husband died in 2005, Sharma decided to produce a sequel to ''Chandrawal'', a project he had been planning for some years.

Filmography

*''Bahurani'' (1982) *'' Chandrawal'' (1984) ... Chandrawal *'' Lado Basanti'' (1985) ... Basanti *'' Phool Badan'' (1986) *''Jatni'' (1991) *'' Chandrawal 2'' (2015)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharma, Usha Indian women choreographers Indian choreographers Indian film actresses Haryanvi cinema Actresses from Haryana Living people Indian female dancers Year of birth missing (living people) Dancers from Haryana 20th-century Indian actresses