Actress Nanda passes away

Veteran Bollywood actress, Nanda, known for hits like "Gumnaam" and "Jab Jab Phool Khile", died Tuesday morning following a massive heart attack at her residence here, her relative said.

She was 72 and is survived by two brothers.

"She breathed her last around 8.30 a.m. It happened so suddenly we could not even call a doctor," her sister-in-law Jaishree T. told IANS of Nanda's end at her house in Seven Bungalows in the northwest suburb of Andheri.

Nanda was the daughter of renowned Marathi actor and director Vinayak D. Karnataki and niece of the legendary filmmaker V. Shantaram.

Her funeral will be conducted this afternoon at the Jogeshwari electric crematorium, details of which are being finalised, Jaishree T said.

Nanda, who was active in front of the camera for about four decades and has over 65 titles to her credit, joined filmdom as a child artist to support her family after her father's demise.

After her big break in V.Shantaram's "Toofan Aur Diya", she graduated to supporting roles with hits like "Bhabhi" and Dev Anand-Waheeda Rehman starrer "Kala Bazar", followed by lead roles in "Gumnaam" with Manoj Kumar, with whom she teamed up again in "Mera Kasaoor Kya Hai". In the 1972, Manoj Kumar had roped her in for his directorial venture "Shor" in a small, but important role.

During her prime she worked with Shashi Kapoor and the duo featured in super-hit movie "Jab Jab Phool Khile", still remembered for its music and hit songs, including the number "Ye sama", picturised on the actress.

Nanda also played the female lead opposite Dev Anand in films like "Hum Dono" and "Teen Deviyan".

In the late 1960s, she was seen with Rajesh Khanna, a newcomer at that time, in "Ittefaq" (1969) and her perofrmance in the suspense thriller won her a Filmfare nomination as Best Actress.

The duo also worked together in another thriller "The Train" (1970) and comedy "Joroo Ka Ghulam" (1972), which were successful at the box office.

Subsequently, she shifted to character roles and is still remembered for playing Padmini Kolhapure's mother in Raj Kapoor-directed "Prem Rog". In the mid 1990s she bid adieu to movies and stayed away from the media glare.