Mala Sinha

Mala Sinha is a former Indian actress who mainly worked in Hindi and Bengali cinema. Renowned for her versatility, beauty, elegance, and tremendous screen presence, she left an indelible mark on Hindi and Bengali cinema. She is widely regarded as one of the most successful and legendary actresses of all time. Initially starting her career with regional cinema, she went on to become a top leading actress in Hindi cinema in the late 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s. Known as the "daring diva" and "torch bearer of women's cinema" for essaying strong female centric and unconventional roles in a range of movies considered ahead of their times, she could truly be regarded as one of first female superstars. In an industry then dominated by male stars, her female-centric roles and star power resulted in Ms. Sinha receiving top billing ahead of such established and more experienced male stars as Rajendra Kumar, Balraj Sahni (Anpadh), Ashok Kumar (Gumrah), Sunil Dutt (Gumrah), Shammi Kapoor (Ujala), Raaj Kumar,, Bharat Bhushan. Having received multiple accolades, Sinha received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.