Manorama (hindi Actress)

Manorama (hindi Actress) Biography

Manorama was a popular character artist of Hindi cinema who portrayed negative role in Seetha aur Geeta. Popularly known for her fat figure and vamp roles, she created a niche of her own through her distinct acting skills. Ek Phool Do Maali (1969) and Do Kaliyaan (1968) are her other noted works. Dus Lakh, Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje, Mujhe Jeene Do, Mehboob ki Mehndi, Caravan, Bombay to Goa and Lawaris also need special mention. Water in 2005 was her last release. She entered films as a child artist in 1941 and later moved to character roles and her career spanned to about 60 years. She played comic role in Kishore Kumar starrer - Half Ticket. Her staring looks and big eyes made her a vamp onscreen.

She was born as Erin Isaac Daniel in 16 August 1926 in Lahore, British India. She started her film career as a child artist with screen name - Baby Iris. Her mother was an Irish and her father, an Indian. Khazanchi (1941) marked her acting debut where she played the teenager role of Durga Das' daughter and Kanwal's sister. She was spotted by Roop K. Shorey in a school concert in Lahore who gave her the screen name Manorama. She regularly acted in many hit Punjabi movies of 1940s and she even refused to work as Dilip Kumar’s sister in Ghar ki Izzat. She was one of the highly paid Punjabi actresses then. But after her marriage to actor Rajan Haksar in 1947, she was offered only character roles. The couple shifted to Mumbai after partition and her marriage too resulted in a bitter separation.

She has been active in the film scene throughout 1950s to 1970s and last appeared in a Bollywood movie - Haadsa(1983). Hollywood movie, Water was her last release. Shor, Mehboob Ki Mehndi, Mere husur, Budtameez, Neel Akash, Neend Hamari Khwab Tumhare, Banaras ki babu, Dulhan and Caravan are a few more releases.

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Updated: October 10, 2014