Ashalata Biswas
| Ashalata Biswas | |
|---|---|
| Born | Mehrunissa |
| 19921992 | |
| 🏳️ Nationality | Indian |
| 💼 Occupation |
|
| 👩 Spouse(s) | Anil Biswas (m. 1936–1954) |
| 👶 Children | 4 |
| 👪 Relatives | Parul Ghosh (sister-in-law) Pannalal Ghosh (brother-in-law) Paromita Vohra (grand-daughter) |
Ashalata Biswas (born as Mehrunissa) was an Indian film actress and producer who was predominantly active in Hindi cinema from the 1930s to the mid-1960s. She was the first wife of music composer Anil Biswas.[1][2]
Career
Ashalata began her acting career in mid-1930s, featuring in a string of films including Azadi (1935), Sajiv Murti (1935) and Insaaf (1936). In 1936, she played Shanti Devi in Manmohan, which was a commercial success.[3] Ashalata went on to star in the big-budget fantasy drama film Jwala (1938) as Kuntala,[4] a character derived from the witches of Macbeth. The film proved to be a major flop.[5] She later had a supporting role in the 1940 musical Zindagi, which became the highest-grossing Indian film at the time of its release.[6][7] Her other notable roles of this period include Geeta (1940) as Lata. She starred alongside Prithviraj Kapoor in Deepak (1940).[8]
In 1951, Ashalata produced Badi Bahu, written by Ramanand Sagar, which won Best Story award at the Mussoorie Film Festival.[9]
Personal life and death
Ashalata's birth name was Mehrunissa.[10][11][12] In 1936, she married composer Anil Biswas, with whom she had four children: Pradeep, Amit, Utpal, and Shikha.[13] The couple separated in 1954. In 1961, their son Pradeep died in a plane crash.[12]
Ashalata was a follower of Arya Samaj.[14] She died in 1992.[15]
Documentary filmmaker Paromita Vohra is Ashalata's grand-daughter through her daughter Shikha Vohra (neé Biswas).[16][17]
Filmography
- Azadi (1935)
- Sajiv Murti (1935)
- Sati Toral (1935)
- Bulldog (1936)
- Insaaf (1936)
- Mahageet (1936)
- Premveer (1936)
- Manmohan (1936) as Shanti[18]
- Jwala (1938) as Kuntala[4][5]
- Aaj Ki Duniya (1940)
- Deepak (1940) as Bina[19]
- Desh Bhakta (1940)
- Geeta (1940) as Lata
- Rangila Jawan (1940)
- Shamsherbaaz (1940)
- Sohag (1940) as Kamla[8]
- Zindagi (1940) as Ratan's friend's mistress (credited as "Asalata")[20][21]
- Madhusudan (1941)
- Sachcha Sapna (1942)
- Sukhi Jeevan (1942)
- Humari Baat (1943)[22]
- Swarna Bhoomi (1944)
- Char Aankhen (1944)
- Bisvi Sadi (1945)
- Shreeman Funtoosh (1965)
- Biradari (1966)
As producer
- Badi Bahu (1951)[9]
References
- ↑ Cinema Vision India. Siddharth Kak. 1982. p. 54. Search this book on
- ↑ Patel, Baburao (1954). Filmindia. Filmindia Publications. p. 17. Search this book on
- ↑ Biblio. Asia-Pacific Communication Associates. 16 March 1997. p. 28. Search this book on
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Patel, Baburao (1937). Jwala review: FilmIndia (1937–38). New York The Museum of Modern Art Library. Bombay. p. 313. Search this book on
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Rajadhyaksha, Ashish; Willemen, Paul (2014-07-10). Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema. Routledge. p. 1938. ISBN 978-1-135-94318-9. Search this book on
- ↑ "BoxOffice India.com". 2009-02-05. Archived from the original on 5 February 2009. Retrieved 26 September 2025. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Box Office India. "Top Earners 1940". boxofficeindia.com. Archived from the original on 6 February 2009. Retrieved 26 September 2025. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 8.0 8.1 Patel, Baburao (1940). FilmIndia (1940). New York The Museum of Modern Art Library. Bombay. pp. 29 for Deepak, 441 for Sohag. Search this book on
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Sagar, Prem (29 May 2023). An Epic Life: Ramanand Sagar: From Barsaat to Ramayan. Penguin Random House India Private Limited. ISBN 978-93-5708-107-8. Search this book on
- ↑ Premchand, Manek (2018-12-27). Yesterday’s Melodies Today’s Memories. Notion Press. ISBN 978-1-64429-877-0. Search this book on
- ↑ Sharma 'Tushar', Raghunandan (2022-11-23). Bhoole-Bisre Film Sangeet Sitare (in हिन्दी). Vāṇī Prakāśana. p. 157. ISBN 978-93-5518-037-7. Search this book on
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Salamat, Sajid (2023-05-17). "Remembering Anil Biswas whose songs captivated music lovers". Daily Times. Retrieved 2025-09-26.
- ↑ Sagar, Prem (2023-05-29). An Epic Life: Ramanand Sagar: From Barsaat to Ramayan. Penguin Random House India Private Limited. p. 128. ISBN 978-93-5708-107-8. Search this book on
- ↑ Sagar, Prem (2021-01-01). Ramanand Sagar Ke Jeevan Ki Akath Kahani: Ramanand Sagar Ke Jeevan Ki Akath Kahani (in हिन्दी). Prabhat Prakashan. p. 45. ISBN 978-93-90378-41-8. Search this book on
- ↑ Division, India Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Research and Reference (1994). Mass Media in India. Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 161. Search this book on
- ↑ "Filmmaker-artist Paromita Vohra's new installation urges to not shy away from pleasures aural and oral". The Indian Express. 2019-12-03. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
- ↑ Gahlot, Deepa (2015-10-01). Take-2: 50 Films That Deserve a New Audience. Hay House, Inc. ISBN 978-93-84544-85-0. Search this book on
- ↑ Śāstrī, Śrīdhara (1969). Bhāratīya philma udyoga (in हिन्दी). Kiśalapa Mañca. p. 70. Search this book on
- ↑ Patel, Baburao (1941). Filmindia (1941). New York The Museum of Modern Art Library. Filmindia Publications, Ltd. p. 30. Search this book on
- ↑ Patel, Bhaichand (2016-01-15). Bollywood's Top 20: Superstars of Indian Cinema. Penguin UK. ISBN 978-81-8475-598-5. Search this book on
- ↑ Dutt, Sharad (2007). Kundan (in हिन्दी). Penguin Books India. p. 182. ISBN 978-0-14-310156-7. Search this book on
- ↑ Imprint. Business Press. 1982. Search this book on
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