Anita Guha Biography

Anita Guha was an Indian actress who normally played mythological characters in films. She became most famous for playing the title role in "Jai Santoshi Maa" (1975). Antecedently, she had played Sita in other mythological films "Sampoorna Ramayana" (1961), "Shree Ram Bharat milap" (1965) and, "Tulsi vivah" (1971).

She came to Mumbai in the 1950s as a beauty pageant contestant, when she was 15 years previous. She became an actress there and made her movie debut in "Tangewali" (1955). She went onto hit films like "Sharada" (1957).

But it was her title role in "Jai Santoshi Maa" (1975) that brought in her the most fame. She had never even heard of goddess Santoshi until she was offered the role, as this was a little known goddesss. It was only a guest appearance, and her scenes were shot 10-12 days. She fasted during the shooting.
The low budget pic was a surprise hit, and broke box office records while becoming a cultural phenomenon. The goddess Santoshi immediately turned a famed goddess, and women all over India worshipped her.

Peoples treated the movie theaters showing "Jai Santoshi Maa" as a temple, conveying offerings of food, going forth slippers at the door. Guha claimed that peoples came to her asking her to bless them, as they perceived her to be a real goddess. Oddly, she never turned a devotee of the goddess herself, claiming that she was a devotee of Kali Maa.

Other mythological movies she acted in include "Dekh Kabira roya" (1957), "Kavi Kalidas (1959) "Jai Dwarkadesh" (1977) and "Krishna Krishna" (1986). She was n't happy that she got typecast as a mythological actress, because acting offers finally terminated coming her way.

Her earlier credits include period movies such as "Sangeet samrat Tansen" (1962), "Kan kan mein bhagwan" (1963), "Veer Bhimsen" (1964). She played Rajesh Khanna's adoptive mother in the immense hit "Aradhana" (1969).

She was wed to actor Manik Dutt ; they had no children. After her husband's decease, she lived alone in Mumbai where she died of cardiac failure on June 20, 2007. The actress, who was in her 70s and was ailing for some time, died at a private hospital in Mumbai.

Guha counted yesteryear's actresses Mala Sinha and Helen among her friends. Enquiries at Mala Sinha's home revealed that she attended Guha's last rites.