Ashalata Biswas

Ashalata Biswas (born as Mehrunnisa; 1917–1992) was an Indian film actress and producer who was predominantly active in Hindi cinema from the 1930s to the mid-1960s. She was one of the first Indian actresses to become brand ambassador of Lux.

Early life and marriage 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).

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)