Veteran Bollywood actress Vidya Sinha known for her memorable roles in most popular films like Rajnigandha, Pati, Patni aur Woh and Chhoti Si Baat died here on Thursday following a lung ailment. She was 71.
She had suffered breathing problems last Sunday and was rushed to a private hospital at Juhu in north-west Mumbai
Her condition became critical and she was put on ventilator. However, she failed to recover and breathed her last at 1 pm on Thursday.
Vidya, who was a popular actress in the seventies and early eighties, was recently being talked about for her prominent role in popular television serial Kulfi Kumar Bajewala. She had earlier acted in Salman Khan’s Bodyguard in 2011.
Vidya featured in both romantic and serious roles and had a string of successful films like Chhoti Si Baat (1975), Inkaar, Kitaab (both 1977) and Pati, Patni aur Woh (1978). She also acted in films like Hawas (1974), Chatterjee’s Safed Jhooth (both 1978), a horror flick Saboot (1980), Love Story and as a gangster in Josh (both 1981).
After taking a long break from acting, she returned to small screen through a character role in television serial Kkavyanjali (2005) and acted in other serials like Zaara (2006), Neem Neem Shahad Shahad (2011), Haar Jeet(2012 ), Qubool Hai (2012-15), Zindagi Wins (2015), Ishq Ka Rang Safed (2015-16), Chandra Nandini and Kulfi Kumarr Bajewala ( 2018-19).
She also acted Salman Khan’s mega-hit “Bodyguard” (2011).
Born in a family with a film background in Mumbai on November 15, 1947, she began her career after becoming Miss Bombay and modelled for several brands. She made her debut in film Raju Kaka (1974) opposite Kiran Kumar. A find of Basu Chatterjee, she became a household name in alternative cinema film Rajnigandha (1974) directed by the renowned filmmaker. She acted 30-odd films before her career ended as a heroine in 1981 when she acted in a negative role in Raj Sippy film “Josh”
Vidya, whose father Rana Pratap Singh -- better known as Pratap S. Rana -- was a film producer, fell in love with and married her neighbour Venkateshwaran Iyer, a Tamil Brahmin in 1968 and adopted a daughter, Jhanvi, in 1989.
She spent some years taking care of her daughter Jhanvi and ailing husband, who died in 1996. Later she and her daughter moved to Sydney, where she married an elderly Australian doctor Netaji Bhimrao Salunke online in 2001. They adopted a daughter shortly afterwards.
Her second marriage ended in a divorce in 2009. During that period, she lodged a complaint against Salunke charging him with physical and mental torture. She later on won a legal battle against Salunke for maintenance.
