Mala Sinha

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From Alda to Mala Sinha Her mother was originally a Neplai and her father was a Bengali Christian Albert Sinha. Mala Sinha was thus named Alda but when she went to school she became a butt of joke as in those days a vegetable oil brand Dalda was quite popular and her friends began teasing her as Dalda Sinha! This made her angry and she rechristened her name as Mala Sinha. Was popular as ‘Baby Lata’ in her childhood and sung at AIR Mala Sinha being the only child was quite affectionate of her papa. He gave her everything and fulfilled all her desires. When he discovered that Mala was blessed with a sweet voice he hired the best of the music teachers in Kolkata and gave her a strong base in music. Soon her name and reputation escalated from school performances to stage and finally at the age of 10 she was invited to sing at AIR (All India Radio). From 1947 to 1975 she sung many songs in many languages on stage and at A.I.R. In fact she was famous as Baby Lata due to her strange similarity with Melody Queen ‘Lata Mangeshkar.’ Interestingly though she was trained singer she never sung her songs in films

Mala Sinha marries a Nepai Film Star Mala Sinha was shooting a Nepai film Maitighar (1966) opposite a debutant Nepali film star CP Lohani. Though Mala Sinha was a huge star yet she had no airs of stardom and this brought CP Lohani close to her. During the shooting the two developed a likening for each other and on February 15, 1968 they tied the nuptial knot. Chitamber Prasad Lohani, after Maitighar (1966) became a big Nepali film Star. He came from a Nepali Brahmin family who was much respected in Kathmandu.

Started her career as child star in Bengali Film Mala Sinha started her film career as a child star for the Bengali Films ‘Jai Vaishno Devi’ and a couple of other movies. A well known Bengali film director Ardhendu Bose debuted Mala as an actress in his 1952 movie ‘Roshanara’. Her first ticket to Bollywood Popular Bollywood filmmaker Amiya Chakravarty who made hit films like Dilip Kumar’s Daag and Jwar Bhata happened to be in Kolkata for the premiere of his Dev Anand and Usha Kiran staring film Patita and saw a photograph of a dazzling beautiful girl in the film magazine Filmfare. Bowled over by the bewitching beauty he called the editor and got the actress phone nos. Mala Sinha in an interview said, “One morning my father received a call from Amiya Chakravarty who expressed his desire to cast me in his films. Father asked my approval, I was excited!” Mala Sinha became heroine at the age of 13 in Hindi films! Amiya Chakravarty made the film Badshah with Mala Sinha in 1954 opposite Pradeep Kumar but it failed. Later she did Ekadashi, a mythological film and Kidar Sharma’s Rangeein Raate. Both were major failures. Then she did Kishore Sahu’s Hamlet, paired yet again opposite Pradeep Kumar. Recalling the film Mala Sinha said, “Actually I was only 13 years and had not fully grown hence Mrs. Kishore Sahu worked hard on my appearance to make me look mature. She used heavy make-up, employed special pads to enhance my bust-line and my hip-line. But all attempts failed as Hamlet too was a flop.” With four flops Mala Sinha’s career was almost doomed. Guru Dutt rescued Mala Sinha from doom After four flops in a row Mala Sinha’s career was doomed. No film producer approached her and she sat idle at home. “Those were the most hard times of life,” says Mala Sinha. She adds, “What was tragically was that my father had stopped his import-export business and also had shut the dry cleaner’s shop in Calcutta as he looked into my film business. There was darkness all-around when filmmaker Guru Dutt offered me Pyaasa (1957).” Recalling Pyaasa she says, “I was on sky nine when Guru Dutt offered me the film because he was a brilliant filmmaker and great actor. The success of Pyaasa opened doors of success and I never had to look back.” Soon after Pyaasa, Mala Sinha was signed by B.R.Chopra for his film Dhool Ka Phool (1959). It was an authored back female lead role of a woman who loses her virginity before marriage and how she faces the harsh outlook of the world. The movie was super hit. Further with Hariyali Aur Raasta (’62), Anpadh (’62), Gumrah (1963), Himalay Ki God Mein (’65), Baharen Phir Bhi Ayengi (1966), Aasra (’66), Do Kaliyan (’68), Mere Huzoor (1968), etc. Mala Sinha did many hit films. The highpoint of these films was that they all were author backed strong women centric roles.