Remembering yesteryear Hindi film actress Manorama on her 11th death anniversary today.

Remembering yesteryear Hindi film actress Manorama on her 11th death anniversary today.

Beginning as a child artiste in 1941, Manorama did nearly 150 films. Her real name was Erin Issac Daniels. She was half-Irish, with an Irish mother and an Indian Christian father, who was a professor in an engineering college. She was known for her comic and negative roles and her last movie was Deepa Mehta’s ‘Water’ a Oscar nominee. The woman with exaggerated eyelashes and expressions was popularly known for roles like the comical tyrant aunt in ‘Seeta Aur Geeta’, ‘Ek Phool Do Maali’, ‘Do Kaliyan’ and ‘Caravan’.

Manorama started her acting career in Lahore around six decades ago and acted as heroine in a few films. After playing heroine roles in the early 40s she settled into playing villainous or comic roles. She played comic roles in superhit films such as Half Ticket appearing alongside Kishore Kumar and the legendary Madhubala. Among many, her memorable performances are in Dus Lakh, Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje, Mujhe Jeene Do, Mehboob ki Menhdi, Caravan, Bombay to Goa, Lawaris etc. The actress also acted in a few television serials later.

She was married to Raja Haksar, also an actor, and after the partition of India in 1947 the couple shifted to Mumbai, where Raja became a producer, while Manorama reestablished her acting career.

It was a surprise to the Industry when she appeared in ‘Water’ as the head of a widow ‘ashram’.

Manorama passed away on 15 February 2008 after a brief illness.