Renuka Devi

Begum Khurshid Mirza (Urdu: بیگم خورشید مرزا ) (a.k.a. Renuka Devi (Hindi: रेणुका देवी ) (1918–1989) was a Pakistani television actress and film actress before the independence of Pakistan in 1947.

Begum Khurshid Mirza was born as Khurshid Jehan to Sheikh Abdullah and Waheed Jahan Begum, the founders of Women's College, where she had her education. Her father was a practising lawyer and philanthropist who was keen to bring education and enlightenment to Muslim women. Khurshid grew up in Aligarh and married in 1934 to a police officer Akbar Mirza.

Khurshid Mirza’s left the cloistered world of Aligarh and pursued film career in Bombay. Mostly associated with Bombay Talkies, she acted in few of their films including Bhakti (1939), Badi Didi (1939), Jeevan Prabhat (1937), Bhabhi (1938) and Naya Sansar (1941), under the screen name Renuka Devi. She moved to Lahore film industry and played leading roles in box-office hits Sahara (1943), Ghulami (1945) and Samrat ChandraGupta (1945). Besides acting, she also used to sing for her films.

She announced her retirement from the Indian film industry in February 1944.

After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, she migrated to Pakistan. Several years later when Pakistan Television Corporation began its transmission and its drama serials started earning household fame, there was a need for professionals to the young media crew. It was a Haseena Moin's serial, entitled Kiran Kahani, which rediscovered Khurshid. Her performance gained her rave reviews, even though she said in a later interview that it was slightly off-key. The next serial she worked in was Zer Zabar Pesh, also written by Haseena Moin. Her performance was regarded by many as one of the finest acting performances in that role, and this set the tone for the rest of her acting career.

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