Laxmi Chhaya

Laxmi Chhaya Biography

Laxmi Chhaya was a noted dancer actress of Bollywood yesterdays. She has also played vamp and supporting roles. Chhaya is best known as the mask dancer of the disco number, Jaan Pehechan Ho - a popular Indian rock & roll song from the movie, Gumnaam starring Manoj Kumar and Nanda. The song composed by Shankar-Jaikishen has been widely "remediated" in North American circulation later and became quite popular when it appeared in the opening credits of the 2001 movie Ghost World. The song sequences of the 1965 movie were used as such. The song was also used for Heineken's 2011 "The Date" commercial, a cover song of album You Me Bullets Love and even a video game Far Cry 4.

Laxmi Chhaya was born on 7 January 1948. Her entry to films was just a co-incidence. She was a visitor to a film set, among a group of guests when she received her first break. She was only nine years old when she appeared in her first film Talaq (1958). The movie was directed by Mahesh Kaul. Bada Aadmi (1961) was a turning point of her career. The movie marked her entry as a successful dancer. Since then she danced for numerous song sequences on screen, mostly in the eras of 1960s and 1970s.

Though she was a talented actress, she got type casted as an item girl or cabaret dancer. Yet she got opportunity to play supporting roles in a few films. Though she got lead roles in a few movies like Jahan Jagey Wahan Savera and Jinki Duniya Mein Roshni Nahin Hoti the movies got shelved. As she owned an image of a dancer, she never received good offers later. With the early 1980s she slowly disappeared from limelight. In 2004 she died of cancer in her middle ages. She taught dance to many kids.  

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Updated: March 20, 2016