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Manorama | |
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 Manorama in 1943 | |
| Born | Erin Isaac Daniels (1926-08-16)16 August 1926 |
| Died | 15 February 2008(2008-02-15) (aged 81) Mumbai,Maharashtra, India |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1936–2005 |
| Spouse | Rajan Haksar (divorced) |
| Children | Rita Haksar |
Manorama (bornErin Isaac Daniels; 16 August 1926 – 15 February 2008) was an Indian character actress inBollywood known best for her role as the comical tyrant aunt inSeeta Aur Geeta (1972) and in films such asEk Phool Do Maali (1969) andDo Kaliyaan (1968). She started her career as a child artiste in 1936 in Lahore, under the nameBaby Iris. Thereafter, she made her debut as an adult in 1941, and had her final role inWater in 2005, her career extending over 60 years. Through her career she acted in over 160 films.[1] After playing heroine roles in the early 1940s, she settled into playing villainous or comic roles. She played comic roles in superhit films such asHalf Ticket appearing alongsideKishore Kumar andMadhubala. She gave memorable performances inDus Lakh,Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje,Mujhe Jeene Do,Mehboob ki Menhdi,Caravan,Bombay to Goa andLawaris.
She acted in films since 1941 under her name Manorama. Her real name wasErin Issac Daniels. She had anIrish mother and anIndian Christian father, who was aprofessor in an engineering college. A trained classical singer and dancer, she used to do stage shows for the Red Cross in the 1940s in Lahore. At the age of nine, she was spotted by Roop K. Shorey in a school concert in Lahore. She started off as a child artist inKhazanchi (1941), under the screen name Manorama (given by Shorey), and grew into a very successful and high-paid actress of Lahore. After partition she shifted to Mumbai. ActorChandramohan recommended her to producers. Although she acted in the superhit Punjabi filmLachchi, she was relegated to play Dilip Kumar's sister inGhar ki Izzat (1948). After her marriage to actor Rajan Haksar, she was slotted into character roles and then to villainous or comedian roles. After several years of marriage, she got divorced. Her last Hindi movie was Akbar Khan'sHaadsa (1983).
She switched to TV serials and shifted to Delhi for five years, where she worked in the seriesDustak which also featuredShahrukh Khan. She shot for Mahesh Bhatt'sJunoon (1992) too, but her role was snipped at the editing table. Around 2001, she worked with Balaji Telefilms for their serialsKashti andKundali. She also played Hiten Tejwani's grandmother's role in the serialKutumb.
Her last movie wasDeepa Mehta'sWater (2005), where she mesmerised Hollywood critics with her performance. According to her, she was the first and final choice to play Madhumati in the film. The production of the film was stopped in Varanasi, and five years later it was started again inSri Lanka, the entire cast was changed except for her.[1]
She was married to Rajan Haksar, also an actor and after the partition of India in 1947, the couple shifted toBombay, where Rajan became a producer, while Manorama reestablished her acting career.[2]
Manorama suffered a stroke in 2007, though she recovered from it, she suffered from speech slurring and other complications.[1] She died on 15 February 2008 inCharkop,Mumbai.[2] She is survived by a daughter Rita Haksar. Rita didSuraj aur Chanda as heroine opposite Sanjeev Kumar, but later married an engineer and settled in the gulf.
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