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Bina Rai

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Bina Rai was a prominent Indian actress of the Hindi cinema era. She was most active during the period of black and white films. Her career is defined by her presence in several classic movies. These include titles such as Anarkali (1953), Ghunghat (1960), and Taj Mahal (1963). She achieved significant professional recognition for her acting talent. Specifically, she won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for her role in Ghunghat.

Her life began in Lahore, Punjab, in British India. She was born on 13 July 1931 under the name Krishna Sarin. During a time of communal frenzy, her family was forced to leave Lahore. They resettled in Uttar Pradesh, a state in India. Bina attended school in Lahore before moving to Lucknow. There, she studied at the IT college and later Isabella Thoburn College.

Bina’s entry into the film industry was quite unexpected. In 1950, she was a first-year Arts student in Lucknow. She saw an advertisement for a talent contest and applied. She traveled to Bombay to participate in this competition. Bina won the contest and received 25,000 rupees in prize money. This victory secured her a leading role in the film Kali Ghata. That movie, directed by Kishore Sahu, served as her professional debut in 1951.

Becoming an actress required great determination from Bina. Her parents did not initially approve of her desire to act. To convince them, she famously went on a hunger strike. Eventually, her parents relented and allowed her to pursue films. On 13 July 1951, the same day her first film was released, she became engaged to the actor Premnath. They married on 2 September 1952.

Bina and Premnath shared a complex professional relationship. They acted together in the film Aurat in 1953. This movie was a Bollywood version of the 1949 Biblical tale, Samson and Delilah. Although the film was not a hit, the two fell in love. They later established their own production unit called P.N. Films. They produced movies such as Shagufa, Prisoner of Golconda, Samunder, and Watan. However, these films did not find success with audiences. While they were married, the pairing did not work well as screen lovers.

Despite her struggles with her husband's films, Bina found great success elsewhere. Her most remembered performances occurred alongside the leading man Pradeep Kumar. Together, they starred in the title roles of Anarkali, Taj Mahal, and Ghunghat. These roles cemented her status as a star of the era. Bina eventually stopped acting in films after many years. She stated that women often struggle to find good roles after a certain age.

Bina Rai left a lasting legacy through her family members. Her son, Prem Krishen, had a career as an actor. He later became a producer for the company Cinevistaas. This company produced television series like Kathasagar, Gul Gulshan Gulfam, and Junoon. His daughter, Akanksha Malhotra, also entered acting in 2002. Her grandson, Siddharth Malhotra, became a film director. He debuted with the film We Are Family in 2010.

Bina Rai passed away on 6 December 2009. Her death was caused by a cardiac arrest. She was survived by her two sons, Prem Kishen and Kailash. Her son Kailash, also known as Monty, released a tribute album. The album, titled Amar Premnath, was released by Saregama. It honored his father on his 10th death anniversary and 86th birth anniversary. Her life remains a significant part of Indian cinematic history.

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