Vidya Sinha

At the age of 18, she participated in a beauty contest where she was crowned Miss Bombay.[1] After that she began modelling for several popular brands and was discovered by Basu Chatterjee.[2][3] Her first movie was Raja Kaka (1974) opposite Kiran Kumar.[3] However, fame came to her through the low-budget break-away hit Rajnigandha (1974), directed by Chatterjee.[3] The movie, with none of the trappings of a typical blockbuster, was a major box office success. This was followed by another hit, Chhoti Si Baat (1975), paving the way for starring in mainstream productions with bigger budgets – Karm (1977) with Rajesh Khanna and Shabana Azmi, Mukti (1977) with Sanjeev Kumar and Shashi Kapoor, Inkaar (1977) with Vinod Khanna, Pati Patni Aur Woh (1978) with Sanjeev Kumar and Ranjeeta Kaur, Gulzar's Kitaab (1977) and Meera (1979).[4] Vidya acted in 30 movies over a period of 10 years. In the Raj Sippy directed Josh (1981), she played her only negative role; that of a gangster stealing coins from beggars.[5] The same year she played Vijeta Pandit's mother in the romantic film Love Story, starring opposite Rajendra Kumar and Danny.[3]

After some years in Australia, Vidya returned to India and started acting in television serials.[6] Salman Khan's Bodyguard (2011), her film after 25 years, was also her last film.[7]

Vidya Sinha acted in TV serials like Bahu Rani (2000), Hum Do Hain Na, Bhabhi and Kkavyanjali (2004).[3] In 2011 she appeared in the NDTV Imagine serial Haar Jeet.[3] She enacted the role of Asad's and Ayaan's grandmother, Badi Bi in the Zee TV show, Qubool Hai.[3] She was also seen as Neha's grandmother in Itti Si Khushi.,[8] as Chandragupt's grandmother in Chandra Nandini and as Kulfi's grandmother in Kullfi Kumarr Bajewala.[3]