Mala Sinha

Mala Sinha
Mala Sinha in Baharen Phir Bhi Aayengi (1966)
Born	Alda Sinha (1936-11-11) 11 November 1936 (age 80) Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1952–1994
Spouse(s)	Chidambar Prasad Lohani
Children	Pratibha Sinha

Mala Sinha (born 11 November 1936 in Calcutta, India) is a former Bollywood actress who has worked in Hindi, Bengali and Nepali films. Recognised for her talent and beauty, she went on to become a top leading actress in Hindi films from the mid 1950s until the late 1970s. Sinha has starred in over a hundred film productions: popular ones include Pyaasa (1957), Anpadh, Dil Tera Deewana (both 1962), Gumrah (1963), Himalaya Ki God Mein (1965), Aankhen (1968), Maryada and Babu.

Mala Sinha's father Albert Sinha was a Bengali Christian, while her mother was of Nepali origin. Her father's name was Albert Sinha. Mala's initial name was Alda. 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. In her childhood she learnt dancing and singing. Although she was an approved singer of All India Radio, she has never done playback singing in films. But as a singer she has done stage shows in many languages from 1947 to 1975.

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 film Roshanara (1952), her cinematic debut.

After acting in a couple of films in Calcutta, Mala had to go to Bombay for a Bengali 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. Both failed, 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 like Lai Batti (actor Balraj Sahni’s only directorial venture), Nausherwan-E-Adil 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.