Ashalata Biswas

Ashalata Biswas
Ashalata in an advertisement of Lux (1944)
Born
Mehrunnisa

1917 (1917)
Kutch, Gujarat, British India
Died1992 (aged 74–75)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • producer
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1936; sep. 1954)​
Children4
RelativesParul Ghosh (sister-in-law)
Pannalal Ghosh (brother-in-law)
Paromita Vohra (granddaughter)

Ashalata Biswas (born as Mehrunnisa; 1917–1992) was an Indian film actress and producer who was predominantly active in Hindi cinema from the 1930s to the mid-1960s. She was one of the first Indian actresses to become brand ambassador of Lux.[1][2]

Ashalata was the first wife of music composer Anil Biswas, with whom she was married for 18 years and had four children.[2][3]

Early life and marriage

Ashalata was born as Mehrunnisa in 1917[4] in Kutch, in a Gujarati Muslim family.[5][6][7] One of her childhood friends was Shobhna Samarth, who would also go on to become an actress in Hindi films.[8]

In 1936, Ashalata married music composer Anil Biswas and underwent religious conversion to become a follower of Arya Samaj.[8] The couple went on to have four children: Pradeep, Amit, Utpal, and Shikha; and separated in 1954.[9] In 1961, their son Pradeep, an IAF cadet, died in a plane crash.[7][10]

Career

Ashalata began her acting career in mid-1930s, featuring in a string of films including Azadi (1935), Sajiv Murti (1935) and Insaaf (1936). In 1936, she played Shanti Devi in Manmohan, which was a commercial success.[11] Ashalata went on to star in the big-budget fantasy drama film Jwala (1938) as Kuntala,[12] a character derived from the witches of Macbeth. The film proved to be a major flop.[13] She later had a supporting role in the 1940 musical Zindagi, which became the highest-grossing Indian film at the time of its release.[14][15] Her other notable roles of this period include Geeta (1940) as Lata. She starred alongside Prithviraj Kapoor in Deepak (1940).[16]

Variety Productions

In 1950s, Ashalata shifted from acting to producing, and co-founded a production house, Variety Productions, along with her husband. Their early releases were Mehmaan (1950) and Bazooband (1951); both films underperformed commercially.[8]

In 1951, Ashalata produced Badi Bahu, written by Ramanand Sagar, which won Best Story award at the Mussoorie Film Festival.[17]

Public image

Ashalata was one of the major female film stars of 1930s.[2] Besides acting, she sang her own songs in some films such as Premveer (1936),[12] and also featured multiple times in the singing programs of All India Radio in late 1930s.[18][19]

Ashalata often drew attention for her perceived beauty.[2] She was among the fewest actresses of her time to feature in the much coveted advertisements of Lux.[4]

Death and legacy

Ashalata died of old age in 1992.[20]

Her second son Utpal Biswas became a music director, and composed music for films such as Shahenshah (1988) and Share Bazaar (1997).[9] Documentary filmmaker Paromita Vohra is Ashalata's granddaughter through her daughter Shikha Vohra (née Biswas).[21][22]

Filmography

As producer

  • Mehmaan (1950)
  • Bazooband (1951)
  • Badi Bahu (1951)[17]

References

  1. ^ THE INDIAN LISTENER: Vol. IX. No. 16. (7th AUGUST 1944). All India Radio (AIR) (published 7 August 1944). 1944. p. 13.
  2. ^ a b c d Cinema Vision India. Siddharth Kak. 1982. p. 54.
  3. ^ Patel, Baburao (1954). Filmindia. Filmindia Publications. p. 17.
  4. ^ a b "Ashalata Biswas". Cinemaazi. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  5. ^ Premchand, Manek (27 December 2018). Yesterday's Melodies Today's Memories. Notion Press. ISBN 978-1-64429-877-0.
  6. ^ Sharma 'Tushar', Raghunandan (23 November 2022). Bhoole-Bisre Film Sangeet Sitare (in Hindi). Vāṇī Prakāśana. p. 157. ISBN 978-93-5518-037-7.
  7. ^ a b Salamat, Sajid (17 May 2023). "Remembering Anil Biswas whose songs captivated music lovers". Daily Times. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  8. ^ a b c Sagar, Prem (1 January 2021). Ramanand Sagar Ke Jeevan Ki Akath Kahani: Ramanand Sagar Ke Jeevan Ki Akath Kahani (in Hindi). Prabhat Prakashan. p. 45. ISBN 978-93-90378-41-8.
  9. ^ a b Sagar, Prem (29 May 2023). An Epic Life: Ramanand Sagar: From Barsaat to Ramayan. Penguin Random House India Private Limited. p. 128. ISBN 978-93-5708-107-8.
  10. ^ Kala, Sadhana. "Morarji Desai: Prime Minister in an air-crash". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  11. ^ Biblio. Asia-Pacific Communication Associates. 16 March 1997. p. 28.
  12. ^ a b c Patel, Baburao (1937). Jwala review: FilmIndia (1937–38). New York The Museum of Modern Art Library. Bombay. p. 313.
  13. ^ a b Rajadhyaksha, Ashish; Willemen, Paul (10 July 2014). Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema. Routledge. p. 1938. ISBN 978-1-135-94318-9.
  14. ^ "BoxOffice India.com". 5 February 2009. Archived from the original on 5 February 2009. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  15. ^ Box Office India. "Top Earners 1940". boxofficeindia.com. Archived from the original on 6 February 2009. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  16. ^ a b Patel, Baburao (1940). FilmIndia (1940). New York The Museum of Modern Art Library. Bombay. pp. 29 for Deepak, 441 for Sohag.
  17. ^ a b Sagar, Prem (29 May 2023). An Epic Life: Ramanand Sagar: From Barsaat to Ramayan. Penguin Random House India Private Limited. ISBN 978-93-5708-107-8.
  18. ^ Delhi, All India Radio (AIR), New (7 October 1938). THE INDIAN LISTENER: Vol. III. No. 20. (7th OCTOBER 1938). All India Radio (AIR), New Delhi.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  19. ^ Radio, Bombay, All India (7 January 1937). THE INDIAN LISTENER: Vol. II. No. 2. (7th JANUARY 1937). All India Radio, Bombay.
  20. ^ Division, India Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Research and Reference (1994). Mass Media in India. Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 161.
  21. ^ "Filmmaker-artist Paromita Vohra's new installation urges to not shy away from pleasures aural and oral". The Indian Express. 3 December 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  22. ^ Gahlot, Deepa (1 October 2015). Take-2: 50 Films That Deserve a New Audience. Hay House, Inc. ISBN 978-93-84544-85-0.
  23. ^ Śāstrī, Śrīdhara (1969). Bhāratīya philma udyoga (in Hindi). Kiśalapa Mañca. p. 70.
  24. ^ Patel, Baburao (1941). Filmindia (1941). New York The Museum of Modern Art Library. Filmindia Publications, Ltd. p. 30.
  25. ^ Patel, Bhaichand (15 January 2016). Bollywood's Top 20: Superstars of Indian Cinema. Penguin UK. ISBN 978-81-8475-598-5.
  26. ^ Dutt, Sharad (2007). Kundan (in Hindi). Penguin Books India. p. 182. ISBN 978-0-14-310156-7.
  27. ^ Imprint. Business Press. 1982.
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