Usha Kiran

Usha Kiran was born Usha Bapu Marathe on 22 April 1929, into a middle-class family in Vasai. She was the daughter of Bapu Marathe and Radha Marathe. Despite facing limited financial circumstances, her father encouraged her interest in the performing arts from a young age and provided her with training in dance.^[2]

At the age of twelve, she made her acting debut on stage in M. G. Rangnekar’s play Aashirwad. Her dancing skills caught the attention of the noted dancer and filmmaker Uday Shankar, who cast her in his 1948 Hindi-language dance film Kalpana, which was produced in Madras. After completing the filming and returning to Mumbai, Rangnekar cast her in his film Kuber, where she performed under her birth name, Usha Marathe.^[2]

She began her acting career on stage with M.G. Rangnekar's Marathi play Ashirwad.^[3] She entered the Hindi film industry with a small role in Uday Shankar's dance-drama film Kalpana (1948). She went on to act in numerous popular Hindi films such as Nazrana (1961), Daag (1952), and Baadbaan (1954), (for which she won the very first Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1955),^[4] Kabuliwala (1961), Patita (1953), Mili, Bawarchi (1972) and Chupke Chupke (1975).^{[citation needed]}

Her famous Marathi films include Shikleli Bayko, Jasach Tase, Postatli Mulgi, Dudh Bhakar, Stree Janma Hi Tuzi Kahani, Kanyadaan (for which she received the Maharashtra Government's award for best actress), Gariba Gharchi Lek, and Kanchanganga.

She starred opposite Hindi film actors such as Kishore Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand, Ashok Kumar, Dilip Kumar, Rajendra Kumar, Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan.^[1]

She died in Nashik at the age of 70.^[1]

Usha was born into a Marathi-speaking family as Usha Balkrishna Marathe, daughter of Balkrishna Vishnu Marathe and his wife Radhabai Marathe. She was the second among five daughters. She was married to Dr. Manohar Kher, who became Dean of Sion Hospital in Mumbai. They were the parents of two children, a son, Advait Kher and a daughter, Tanvi Azmi. Usha Kiran's son Advait is a former model, now settled in Nashik with his wife Uttara (who was Femina Miss India of 1982) and his two daughters Saunskruti Kher and Saiyami Kher.^{[citation needed]} Usha Kiran's daughter Tanvi Azmi is a well known television and film actress, married to cinematographer Baba Azmi, brother of Shabana Azmi.^[5]