Nanda who cast her spell in films like Hum Dono, Ittefaq, Dhool Ka Phool and Bhabhi passed away at her Versova residence in Mumbai today, March 25, 2014 following a heart attack. Nanda was seventy five.

Her father died when Nanda was a child. The family faced hard times and Nanda helped her family by working and taking up roles in films like Jaggu in the early 1950’s.

Nanda made her acting debut in the year 1956 with her uncle and celebrated filmmaker V. Shantaram‘s Toofan Aur Diya and with her pairing with Shashi Kapoor was the talk of the town. Both Shashi Kapoor and Nanda appeared in eight films including Jab Jab Phool Khile.

Nanda has been close friends with Waheeda Rehman right from the time they worked together in the popular film Kaala Bazaar.

Nanda received her first Filmfare Award Nomination as Best Supporting Actress for Bhabhi (1957); she claims that the reason she didn’t win was because there was lobbying involved. She won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for Anchal (1960). She was the heroine in B.R.Chopra‘s Kanoon (1960), a film that was very unusual back then, because it had no songs.

She then played supporting roles to stars like Dev Anand in Kala Bazar, and did small roles in big films like Dhool Ka Phool. Nanda later worked with Dev Anand in films like Hum Dono (1961) and Teen Deviyan (1965).

In 1992, Nanda was reportedly engaged to popular filmmaker Manmohan Desai. But he passed away after he fell off the terrace of his rented apartment in Girgaon, just a year after her mother’s death. As reports had said, the railing on which he was leaning collapsed. Nanda decided to remain unmarried.

Nanda acted in films like Dhool Ka Phool, Dulhan, Bhabhi, Naya Sansar, Jab Jab Phool Khile, Gumnaam, Shor and Parineeta. Prem Rog, which released in the year 1983, starring Padmini Kolhapure and Rishi Kapoor was her last film.

She will be remembered by many for her various roles in Bollywood films and her timeless beauty. May her soul rest in peace!