Ashalata Biswas

Ashalata was born as Mehrunnisa in 1917 One of her childhood friends was Shobhna Samarth, who would also go on to become an actress in Hindi films. The couple went on to have four children: Pradeep, Amit, Utpal, and Shikha; and separated in 1954. In 1961, their son Pradeep, an IAF cadet, died in a plane crash. == 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. Ashalata went on to star in the big-budget fantasy drama film Jwala (1938) as Kuntala, Her other notable roles of this period include Geeta (1940) as Lata. She starred alongside Prithviraj Kapoor in Deepak (1940). 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. In 1951, Ashalata produced Badi Bahu, written by Ramanand Sagar, which won Best Story award at the Mussoorie Film Festival. == Public image ==

Ashalata was one of the major female film stars of 1930s. Ashalata often drew attention for her perceived beauty. == Death and legacy ==

Ashalata died of old age in 1992. Her second son Utpal Biswas became a music director, and composed music for films such as Shahenshah (1988) and Share Bazaar (1997). == Filmography ==

• Azadi (1935) • Sajiv Murti (1935) • Sati Toral (1935) • Bulldog (1936) • Insaaf (1936) • Mahageet (1936) • Premveer (1936) • Manmohan (1936) as Shanti • Jwala (1938) as Kuntala • Aaj Ki Duniya (1940) • Deepak (1940) as Bina • Desh Bhakta (1940) • Geeta (1940) as Lata • Rangila Jawan (1940) • Shamsherbaaz (1940) • Sohag (1940) as Kamla • Zindagi (1940) as Ratan's friend's mistress (credited as "Asalata") • Madhusudan (1941) • Sachcha Sapna (1942) • Sukhi Jeevan (1942) • Humari Baat (1943) • Swarna Bhoomi (1944) • Char Aankhen (1944) • Bisvi Sadi (1945) • Shreeman Funtoosh (1965) • Biradari (1966) As producer • Mehmaan (1950) • Bazooband (1951) • Badi Bahu (1951) == References ==