Actress Usha Kiran is dead
Former Hindi and Marathi film actress Usha Kiran, who mesmerized filmgoers with her versatile portrayals in movies like “Patita” (with Dev Anand) and “Musafir,” died of cancer in Nasik, Maharashtra on Thursday.
Family sources at Nashik said the veteran actress was suffering from cancer of the intestine. She was undergoing treatment at Hinduja hospital and Bombay hospital in Bombay and had shifted to her Nashik farm house only in January.
Kiran,71, is survived by her husband, Manohar Kher, son, Advait Kher and daughter, Tanvi Azmi (sister in law of Shabana Azmi), who is also a well-known film and television actress. She began her acting career as a stage actress. Her first Marathi play was M.G. Rangnekar’s “Ashirwad.”
In a movie career spanning over four decades in movies, Kiran acted in over 300 Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati films, including “Nazrana,” “Daag,” “Kabuliwala” (with Blaraj Sahani) , “Mili”, “Chupke Chupke”, and Bawarchi." She won awards for her sterling performances in several Marathi movies including “Shikleli Bayko,” “Kanyadaan,” “Gariba Gharchi Lek,” “Kanchanganga” and “Kalpana.”
She starred opposite Hindi film actors like Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand, Ashok Kumar, Dilip Kumar, Rajendra Kumar, Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan.
A former sheriff of Mumbai, Kiran was recipient of the Maharashtra government’s award for best actress for her role in Marathi film “Kanyadaan.”
Condoling he death, thespian Ashok Kumar said, “I am sad to hear about her death.
She was a versatile actress and a good friend.”