Bela Bose

Bela Bose is an Indian dancer and actress who was active in Hindi films during the 1960s and 70s.

Bela Bose was born in Calcutta in a well-to-do family. Her father was a cloth merchant and her mother was a homemaker. Following a bank crash that wiped out their fortune, the family relocated to Bombay in 1951. She started her career as a schoolgirl as a group dancer in films to help support her family after her father's death in a road accident. She picked up more films after she finished her schooling.

Bela Bose began to receive independent credit from the late 1950s. Her big break came when she was asked to do a dance number with Raj Kapoor in Main Nashe Mein Hoon, released in 1959. Her first leading role was in Sautela Bhai (1962) opposite Guru Dutt at age 21. She honed her acting skills performing in Bengali plays. Her career consisted of more than 150 films. In Hawa Mahal(1962), she played the role of Helen's sister. She was often called upon to play the role of a vamp. Conservative in real life, she lost some roles because of her refusal to wear a swimming costume onscreen.

Some of her roles were in Bimal Roy's Bandini (1963), F.C. Mehra's Professor (1962) and Amrapali, Atmaram's Shikar, Umang, Yeh Gulistan Hamara, Dil Aur Mohabbat, Zindagi Aur Maut and Wahan Ke Log. Later, she became a character actress and played the villainous sister-in-law in the hit mythological film Jai Santoshi Maa.

Her husband, Ashish Kumar, was an actor. She married him in 1967 and gradually eased out of films after giving birth to a daughter and a son.