Alda Sinha

Alda Sinha ( Popularly known by screen name Mala Sinha) was one of the finest , talented and famous actress in hindi cinema who peaked during 1960s and early 1970s . She initially worked in bengali films before entering the bollywood.
She was born on 11th, November 1936 at Bhowanipur, Kolkata in a Nepali Christian family and got her education in St. diocesan girl’s school at lansdown Road . Since childhood, she had a keen interest in singing and dreamt of becoming a full time singer and idolised Lata Mangeshkar and then learnt singing and dancing from professionals . She would often sing at private birthday parties or at Durga Puja as her hobby and was known as Baby Lata in Bhowanipur. She groomed herself in to a skilled dancer and singer and as a singer, she did stage shows in many languages from 1947 to 1975 but strangely she did no play back singing in films .
Her acting career started as a child artist in bengali film – Jai Boishnob Debi followed by Krishno Leela , Roshanara in 1952 , Jog Biyog in 1953 and Dhuli in 1954 and in the same year of 1954, she went to bombay and appeared in hindi film- Badshah बादशाह of Amiya Chakraborty which flopped but her next hindi film – Hamlet was a moderate success and she got a positive review for her acting and role . More films followed but
her career got strucked in B- grade films , it is then that famous actress- Geeta bali found immense potential in her and became her mentor and got her the film Rangeen Raaten of Kidar Sharma , opposite Shami Kapoor in 1956 .
Thus her film journey was not smooth like for most actors and she had to face a fair share of her struggles and disappointments before she could become a top star .
Her big break came in 1957 when Geeta dutt managed to induct her in Guru dutt’s superhit film – Pyasa प्यासा and this film went on to create an iconic success for the Mala sinha . She superbly acted in this film as hero-Gurudutt’s college time lady love but who marries a rich Publishing businessman for financial comforts and luxury over love but in the film when Gurudutt re-enters her life , she grapples with her continuous feelings for him with superb acting . After the success of film -Pyasa , Mala Sinha never looked back.
She was confirmed as a top star when she paired with Raj Kapoor in three films – Parvarish (1958), Phir Subha Hogi (1958) and Main Nashe Mein Hoon (1959).
She was also paired with Dev Anand during this period in the romantic drama film – Love Marriage (1959) and the socially relevant film Maya (1961).
Mala became an A-grade star with Yash Chopra’s directorial debut film – Dhool Ka Phool (1959) in which she gave excellent performance playing the role of an unwed mother deserted by the hero – Rajendra Kumar . This film took her on the path to playing central and suffering women roles and the film got her a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress, her first of four. The other films for which she received Best Actress nominations from Filmfare were Bahurani (1963), Jahan Ara (1964) and Himalay Ki God Mein (1965) .
Next she came up with credible performance in yash chopra’s film – Dharamputra (1961) , in film Anparh अनपढ ( 1962) and then a super hit film – Gumrah गुमराह ( 1963) of BR Chopra in which Mala gave her career best performance . Gumrah film was a daring and unconventional one for its times as the married heroine is unable to come to terms with her past when her lover shows up in her life again and she begins to see him again without her husband’s knowledge and Mala played this negative role exceedingly well .
Mala’s partnership with the BRChopra ended after 3 films when she refused to do the multi-starrer film Waqt (1965) as she was uncomfortable to wear a swimming costume in the film .
However she performed superbly in her next films like Humsaya (1968), Do Kaliyan (1968) and Aankhen (1968). She also teamed up successfully with actor Biswajeet, and the two of them did a series of films together namely Aasra (1966), Night in London (1967), Paisa Ya Pyar (1969), Pyar Ka Sapna (1969), and Phir Kab Milogi (1974) among others.
The other well-known films of Mala Sinha include Detective (1958), Ujala (1959), Patang (1960), Dil Tera Deewana (1962), Apne Hue Paraye (1964), Mere Huzoor (1968), Geet (1970) and Lalkar (1972).
During those times it was Mala who held the torch of the ‘woman’s picture’ . She refused to play inconsequential roles opposite the big heroes unless her woman role was pivotal around which the film evolved. Thus she acted opposite then still-upcoming actors like Dharmendra (in film Anpadh 1962) and Manoj Kumar (in film Hariyali Aur Rasta -1962) where she carried these films entirely on her shoulders .
Then with famous actor Raj Kumar, she delivered box office hit films like Phool Bane Angaare, Maryada and Karmayogi in early seventies and thereafter due to advancing age she started retreating from cinema world .
In between, she had also done a hit Nepali film, Maitighar in 1966 , opposite very handsome actor Chidambarv Prasad Lohani ,a Brahmin from kumanyu . During shooting , Mala fell in love with him and on returning to Bombay, she immediately wrote him a letter expressing her feelings for him to which Lohani reciprocated , came to bombay and after few meetings both a bit later tied the knot in 1968 as per hindu vedic rituals and lived a happy married life with one daughter mamed – Pratibha . Unfortunately CP lohani, expired quite recently in 2024 .
Alongwith hindi films , Mala continued to work in bengali films and did 22 films in bengali out of which in seven she paired with Mahanayak- uttam kumar . Her notable Bengali films are – Prithbi Amara Chhaye , Bondhu, Sathihara and Lookochuri amogst others .
Her last two films were -Radha ka Sangam in 1992 acting as Thakurain and film -zid ज़िद् in 1994 acting as Dadi Maa.
She had rejected the most coveted Dada Sahab Phalkey award in 2013 on being upset that proper invitation protocal was not followed by the authorities.
She is now about 88 years old and resides at Mumbai with her daughter and will remain in memory for a long long time to come for her immense talents .

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Six stars

( Tributes )
Mala sinha in her career worked with top heroes of her time i.e Raj kapoor, Dilip kumar , Devanand , Dharmendra, Manoj kumar, Raj kumar , Rajendra kumar, Biswajeet and Rajesh khanna .
She is one name in Indian cinema that has made it’s worth all the more glorious, honorary and distinguished. The diva ( as she was called in film circles) ruled the silver screens in the golden decades of 1960s and early 70s and charmed millions of fans with her extraordinary beauty and versatile acting abilities .
She was known as the torch bearer of women’s cinema for portraying strong female centric and unconventional roles in a range of movies which were considered ahead of her times.
Further throughout her filmy career, she kept her personal life exclusive and to herself and never got under any cloud of rumours about relations with any actor and kept herself fully untainted .
It is also remarkable that she delivered most of her 1960s hits fuelled by her own star power not on the exclusive strength of the heros of the films and that she acted opposite big stars only after being sure that her role was as good as that of hero’s .
She was
one of the highest paid actress of the 1960s and appeared in Box Office India’s Top Actresses list five times from 1962 to 1965 and 1968
She received multiple awards and nominations and got rewarded with the Filmfare’s Lifetime Achievement Award in the year 2018.
In 2022, she was placed in Outlook India’s “75 Best Bollywood Actresses” list.

(Awards and nominations )
AWARDS :-
1.Bengal Film Journalists’ Association Award ( BFJA ) in 1965 for Best Actress in film -Jahan Ara and in 1967 for hindi film – Himalay Ki God Mein
2.1960 Filmfare Award for Best Actress in film Dhool Ka Phool (Nominated )
3.1964 film fare award for film -Bahurani (Nom)
4.1965 Film fare award for film – Jahan Ara (Nominated )
5.1966 film fare award for film / Himalay Ki God Mein (Nominated )
6.Year 2007 Screen Awards for Lifetime Achievement
7.Year2018 Film fare Lifetime Achievement Award
Other recognitions :-
2004 – Sikkim Samman Award by Government of Sikkim .
2005 – National Film Awards (Nepal)
2013 – Kelvinator GR8 Women Award for Lifetime Achievement
2017 – LG Film Award – Special Honour for film Maitighar
2021 – Deenanath Mangeshkar Vishesh Purashkar for Contribution in Cinema .

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