Veteran actress Vidya Sinha who acted in Rajnigandha passes away in Mumbai

The veteran actress Vidya Sinha who acted in the famous film Rajnigandha has passed away at the age of 71 in Mumbai, according to news agency ANI. She was admitted to Criticare Hospital 6 days back with heart and lung complications and was on a ventilator.

Mumbai: Veteran actor Vidya Sinha passes away in a hospital in Juhu. She had acted in various movies including 'Chhoti Si Baat', 'Rajnigandha' and 'Pati Patni aur Woh'. pic.twitter.com/WDMtjbMtqj

— ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2019

She began modeling and acting at the age of 18. She was Miss Bombay and modeled for several brands which led to her discovery by Basu Chatterjee. 

Her first movie, however, came after marriage - her debut was in Raja Kaka (1974) opposite Kiran Kumar.

However, fame came to her through a low-budget, alternative cinema break-away hit Rajnigandha (1974), directed by her mentor Basu Chatterjee. The movie, although having none of the trappings of a typical Bollywood blockbuster, was a major box office success.

This was followed by many more small-budget films like Choti Si Baat (1975), and later by more mainstream, bigger budget Bollywood productions like Pati Patni Aur Woh (1977).

She is known for her pleasant roles in various movies she acted during her active career life. She did 30 movie roles over a period of 12 years. 

She wound down her film work and finally called it a day by 1986. After some years in Australia, Vidya returned to India and gradually came back to acting.

She returned to films in Salman Khan's Bodyguard in 2011.