Anita Guha

Anita Guha was an Indian Bengali actress who usually played mythological characters in films. She became known for playing the title role in Jai Santoshi Maa (1975). Previously, she had played Sita in other mythological films; Sampoorna Ramayana (1961), Shree Ram Bharat Milap (1965) and Tulsi Vivah (1971). Besides this, she also played notable roles in films such as Goonj Uthi Shehnai (1959), Purnima (1965), Pyar Ki Rahen (1959), Gateway of India (1957), Dekh Kabira Roya (1957) and Sanjog (1961).

Anita Guha
Born(1932-01-17)17 January 1932
Died20 June 2007(2007-06-20) (aged 75)
Years active1953–1989
Spouse(s)Manik Dutt

Career

She came to Mumbai in the 1950s as a beauty pageant contestant when she was 15 years old.[1] She became an actress there and made her film debut in Tonga-wali (1955). She moved on to hit films such as Dekh Kabira Roya (1957), Sharada (1957),[2] and Goonj Uthi Shehnai, for which she earned nomination in Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress category, the only nomination of her career.[3] In 1961, she appeared as Sita, in Babubhai Mistry's Sampoorna Ramayana, which made her a household name.[4]

But it was her title role in Jai Santoshi Maa (1975) that brought her the most fame.[5] She had never even heard of goddess Santoshi until she was offered the role, as this was a little-known goddess. It was only a guest appearance, and her scenes were shot in 10–12 days. She fasted during the shooting.[6] The low-budget pic was a surprise hit, and broke box office records while becoming a cultural phenomenon. The goddess Santoshi now became a famous goddess, and women all over India worshipped her. People treated the movie theatres showing Jai Santoshi Maa as a temple, bringing offerings of food, leaving slippers at the door. Guha claimed that people came to her asking her to bless them, as they perceived her to be a real goddess. However, she never became a devotee of the goddess herself, claiming that she was a devotee of the goddess Kali.[7]

Other mythological films she acted in include Kavi Kalidas (1959), Jai Dwarkadesh (1977) and Krishna Krishna (1986). She wasn't happy that she became typecast as a mythological actress, because acting offers eventually stopped coming her way. Her earlier credits include period films such as Sangeet Samrat Tansen (1962), Kan Kan Mein Bhagwan (1963) and Veer Bhimsen (1964). She played Rajesh Khanna's adoptive mother in the huge hit Aradhana (1969).

Personal life

She was married to actor Manik Dutt; they had no children. After her husband's death, she lived alone in Mumbai where she died of cardiac failure on 20 June 2007. Anita Guha is the maternal aunt of actor Prema Narayan. Prema is the daughter of her sister Anuradha Guha.

Filmography
YearFilmCharacter/RoleNotes
1955 Tonga-wali Debut
1957 Dekh Kabira Roya Rekha
Sharada Padma
1959 Goonj Uthi Shehnai Ramkali Nominated for Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress
Chacha Zindabad Renu
Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan Karnataki Raj Nartaki
1960 Angulimaal Guru Mata
1961 Sampoorna Ramayana Seeta
1962 Sangeet Samrat Tansen Hansa Love interest of Tansen
1965 Purnima Vandana Mehra
1969 Aradhana Foster mother of Suraj
1971 Tulsi Vivah Goddess Lakshmi
1972 Anuraag Rajesh's mother
1975 Jai Santoshi Maa Goddess Santoshi Popular & Memorable role
1978 Tumhare Liye Sheela devi
1981 Fiffty Fiffty Ranimaa
1986 Krishna-Krishna Revati

Awards and nominations
  • 1960: Filmfare Award

References
  1. "Santoshi Maa Anita Guha dead". The Times of India. 20 June 2007.
  2. "Anita Guha, 70s, actress - Entertainment News, Obituary, Media - Variety". Variety.
  3. 1st Filmfare Awards 1953
  4. "Anita Guha dead". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 20 June 2007.
  5. Kahlon, Sukhpreet. "Anita Guha, a different 'Maa' in Indian cinema – Death anniversary special". Cinestaan.com. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  6. The Telegraph - Calcutta : etc The Telegraph (Kolkata)
  7. On playing Santoshi Ma Rediff.com.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.