Bela Bose (1943 or 1944 – 20 February 2023) was an Indian dancer and actress who was active in Hindi films during the 1960s and 1970s.[1]

Bela Bose
Born1943 or 1944
Died (aged 79)
NationalityIndian
Occupation(s)Actress, dancer
Spouse
(m. 1967)

Early life

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Bela Bose was born in Calcutta on 1 January 1943 or 1944 into a well-to-do family. Her father was a cloth merchant, and her mother was a homemaker. Following a bank crash that wiped out their fortune, the family relocated to Bombay in 1951. As a schoolgirl, she started her career as a group dancer in films to help support her family after her father's death in a road accident. She appeared in more films after finishing her schooling.

Career

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Bela Bose began to receive independent credit from the late 1950s. Her big break came when she was asked to perform a dance number with Raj Kapoor in Main Nashe Mein Hoon, released in 1959. Her first leading role was at age 21 in Sautela Bhai (1962) opposite Guru Dutt. She honed her acting skills performing in Bengali plays. Her career consisted of more than 150 films. In Hawa Mahal (1962), she played the role of Helen's sister.[2] She was often called upon to play the role of a vamp. Conservative in real life, she lost some roles because of her refusal to wear a swimming suit onscreen.[3]

Bose performed in such films as Bimal Roy's Bandini (1963), F.C. Mehra's Professor (1962) and Amrapali, Atmaram's Shikar, Umang,Yeh Gulistan Hamara, Dil Aur Mohabbat, Zindagi Aur Maut, and Wahan Ke Log. She later became a character actress and played the villainous sister-in-law in Jai Santoshi Maa.

Her husband, Ashish Kumar, was an actor.[4] They married in 1967 and she gradually eased out of acting after giving birth to a daughter and a son.

Death

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Bose died on 20 February 2023, at the age of 79.[5]

Selected filmography

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References

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  1. ^ Cowie, Peter; Elley, Derek (1977). World Filmography: 1967. Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press. pp. 265–. ISBN 978-0-498-01565-6.
  2. ^ Pinto, Jerry (2006). Helen: The Life and Times of an H-bomb. Penguin Books India. pp. 241–. ISBN 978-0-14-303124-6.
  3. ^ "Bela Bose – Vintage Photo Shoot". cineplot.com. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  4. ^ Somaaya, Bhawana (2004). Cinema Images And Issues. Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd. pp. 307–. ISBN 978-8129103703.
  5. ^ "Actress and dancer Bela Bose passes away at the age of 79". The Times of India. 20 February 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
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