Why the Bollywood star, who starred in 1200 films, remained beyond the line of life: Manorama is the evil aunt of Zita and Gita

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

There are such actors who, having played one vivid episodic role, remain forever in the memory of the audience. This is how it once happened with our heroine. This Indian actress is remembered by everyone who loves old Indian cinema. Although, for sure, few people know her name. Manorama is a well-known comedic actress with an impressive list of film roles.

Will you say that you do not know her? Do you remember the evil aunt of the twins Zita and Gita? This is it. Of course, everyone who watched this comedy remembered this colorful figure. But this role is far from the only one in the arsenal of the actress.

Childhood and youth

Oddly enough, the famous Indian actress is not entirely of Indian descent. She was born in Lahore, then part of India, to a mixed Irish-Indian family. And the name of the girl from birth was not at all Indian - Erin Isaac Daniel. By the way, from the photographs of the actress, especially young ones, her European appearance is clearly visible.

It is interesting that the actress began acting at an early age - in the year of her birth in a small episode in the movie. Naturally, there she portrayed a tiny child, in short, she played herself.

Creative life

Erin took the pseudonym Manorama later, when she was already acting in films in 1941. Since that time, she has become a very successful and highly paid actress in the city of Lahore. There are many interesting finds among her roles. In 1947, after the overthrow of British rule, India was divided into 2 parts: Pakistan and the Union of India. Lahore ended up in Pakistan.

It was a very tragic page in the history of the country, many millions of refugees moved from one part to another, Hindus fled from Muslim areas and vice versa. Clashes began, and many died.

Manorama with her husband-producer also left Lahore and went to India, to Bombay (now Mumbai). Here she found her acting role - she played comedic female villains.

A bright representative of the Bollywood style, Manorama starred mainly in films in Hindi. Since 1992, Manorama began acting in serials. She worked in cinema for almost 70 years - a long time. And in her filmography, according to various sources, there are from 140 to 160 films.

Actually, for India such a number of roles, if not the norm, then quite a frequent occurrence. Even very famous actors are often forced to appear in several films at the same time. This is the peculiarity of Bollywood - almost in-line production, films are "baked" one by one. Hence the huge number of roles.

Zita, Geeta and Manorama

But the most famous film, especially for the Soviet audience, was the comedy "Zita and Gita". The film was released in 1972 and was a huge success in his home country. No less success awaited him in the USSR.

In early childhood, the two twin girls ended up in different families. Geeta was brought up by the poor gypsies, and Zita was brought up in her own rich home. But the adoptive mother loved poor Gita very much and even pampered as much as she could, so that the girl grew up independent and independent.

The unfortunate rich Zita was completely "pecked" in her own home. Her parents died, and she was brought up, so to speak, by her aunt Kausalya, the same Manorama. My aunt's brother, a very cruel person, also helped in the "upbringing". And Zita in such an atmosphere grew up completely timid and downtrodden.

For various reasons, the girls changed places. And the resolute gypsy Gita gave a tough rebuff to both her aunt and her evil bandit brother. And in the literal sense: first she beat her aunt, then whipped her uncle with a belt.

The comedy, as is usual in Indian films, moved into an action movie in the second episode. As a result, everyone got what they deserved, and the main characters (they were both played by one actress Hema Malini) married their loved ones.

Personal life of the actress

Manorama was married, her husband was producer Rajan Haskar. The couple raised a daughter, Rita Akhtar. She also became an actress and in the 70s managed to star in several films. But her life ended abruptly and tragically, under mysterious circumstances, the girl disappeared. She was never found.

When her husband died, hard days fell on Manorama. According to some versions, the actress's husband had large debts, possibly due to expensive treatment. One way or another, the house had to be sold. The actress lost her roof over her head and literally spent the night on the street. But, according to the recollections of people who knew her, she did not fall into despair and waited for the black streak to end.

Last years

And so it happened. In 2005, the actress got a role in the Indian-Canadian historical film "Water". The film tells about an ashram for widows, women who have lost their husbands were not supposed to live among ordinary people. They were entitled to exile (well, if not being burned with the deceased at the stake!).

Even now widows in India are in a difficult and often humiliating situation. It used to be much worse. For this role, Manorama received an original fee - she was bought her own house. So she spent the most recent years under her own roof.

But the quiet life did not last long. In 2007, the actress suffered a stroke. And a year later - the second. She died in February 2008 in Mumbai. Only 4 people came to the funeral of the actress. None of the representatives of the film industry showed up …