Remembering yesteryears film actress Shyama on her 84th birth anniversary.

Remembering yesteryears film actress Shyama on her 84th birth anniversary.

She acted in over 175 movies in a span of nearly 45 years.

From small roles to second lead and, finally, the top-billed actress in films like Aar Paar (1954), Shyama rose from a paltry salary of Rs.30 to a princely Rs.2000 as a Filmistan heroine. Unlike other actresses of her era, she was just as comfortable taking on characters with shades of grey in Bhabhi (1957), Chhoti Bahen (1959), and Bahurani (1963) rather than becoming the traditional love interest of the hero.

Shyama was an adept dancer with expressive eyes, who lit up the screen with her infectious smile. She played a grandmother in her last film Hathyar (1989) and retired soon after.

Shyama gave some lovely songs namely ‘O teri duniya se door chale ho ke majboor’, ‘sun sun zalima’, ‘kaare kaare badra’, ‘Ae dil mujhe bata de’, ‘Yeh lo main haari piya’ that used to blare on All India Radio and Radio Ceylone in the fifties.