Legendary Bollywood Actress Nanda Dies of Heart Attack

Veteran Bollywood actress Nanda passed away after suffering a heart attack at her Versova residence in Mumbai, on Tuesday morning. She was 75.

Nanda was born in 1939, as the daughter of Vinayak Damodar Karnataki (Master Vinayak), who was a successful Marathi actor and director.

She began her film career as a child artiste in the early 1950s and got her big break as an adult through the success of the film "Toofan Aur Diya" (1956), a brother-sister saga directed by her paternal uncle V Shantaram. The next year, she starred in several films including "Bhabhi", "Agra Road" and "Bandi."

The veteran actress was nominated as the Best Supporting Actress for her role in "Bhabhi," however, she didn't win. Later, Nanda did supporting roles in films like "Kala Bazar."

LV Prasad's "Chhoti Bahen" (1959), in which Nanda played the title role, made her into a star. Some of her notable films include "Gumnaam", "The Train" and "Joroo Ka Ghulam" among others. She won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for her role in "Anchal," which hit the screens in 1960.

Nanda stopped acting in films in 1974, but made a successful comeback in 1982 playing the role of Padmini Kolhapure's mother in films such as "Ahista Ahista", "Mazdoor" and "Prem Rog", all of which turned out to be successful. "Prem Rog" was her last film after which she permanently retired from acting.

The actress was engaged to "Amar Akbar Anthony" director Manmohan Desai for a brief period. He died after falling down from the terrace of his rented apartment in Gurgaon and Nanda remained unmarried.

The death of the actress has come as a shock for her fans. Her last rites will be held later on Tuesday (25 March).