Preeti Ganguly ( hi, प्रीति गाँगुली; 17 May 1953 – 2 December 2012) was an Indian actress who played several comic roles in

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

in the 1970s and 1980s. She was the daughter of veteran Indian actor

Ashok Kumar Kumudlal Ganguly (13 October 1911 – 10 December 2001), better known by his stage name Ashok Kumar and also by Dadamoni, was an Indian actor who attained iconic status in Indian cinema and who was a member of the cinematic Ganguly family. He ...

, and part of the

Ganguly family The Ganguly family in Bollywood is referred as the Hindu Bengali Brahmin family hailing from Madhya Pradesh. In a Bollywood film industry dominated by powerhouse families the Ganguly brothers and their family connections serve as an important ...

. She is best known for her comic role as Freni Sethna, the die-hard

Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; born as Amitabh Shrivastav; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most succe ...

fan in

Basu Chatterjee Basu Chatterjee ( bn, বাসু চ্যাটার্জ্জী; 10 January 1927 – 4 June 2020) was an Indian film director and screenwriter. Through the 1970s and 1980s, Chatterjee became associated with what came to be known as mi ...

's ''

Khatta Meetha ''Khatta Meetha ''is a Hindi/Urdu phrase which means "sweet and sour". It may refer to: * ''Khatta Meetha'' (1978 film), a Bollywood film directed by Basu Chatterjee, starring Ashok Kumar and Rakesh Roshan in the lead roles * ''Khatta Meetha'' (20 ...

'' (1978). After she lost some 50 kg, her film roles dwindled and later in 1993, she started an acting school named after her father, 'Ashok Kumar's Academy of Dramatic Arts' in Mumbai, where she also took film appreciation classes. Years later, she appeared in

Emraan Hashmi Emraan Anwar Hashmi (; born 24 March 1979) is an Indian actor who appears predominantly in Hindi cinema. Hashmi debuted in 2003 with the crime thriller film ''Footpath'' and subsequently appeared in films include ''Murder'' (2004), '' Kalyug'' ...

starrer, ''

Aashiq Banaya Aapne ''Aashiq Banaya Aapne'' ( en, You Made me a Lover, italics=yes) is a 2005 Indian Hindi-language romantic thriller film starring Emraan Hashmi, Sonu Sood, Tanushree Dutta, and Navin Nischol. It was released on 2 September 2005. The film marked ...

'' (2005).

Personal life

Actor

Deven Verma Deven Verma (23 October 1937 – 2 December 2014) was an Indian film and television actor, particularly known for his comic roles, with Bollywood directors like Basu Chatterji, Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Gulzar. He also produced and directed fi ...

is married to her elder sister Rupa Ganguly. Her brother, Aroop Kumar, appeared in only one film, Bezuban, released in 1962.

Kishore Kumar Kishore Kumar (born as Abhas Kumar Ganguly (); 4 August 1929 – 13 October 1987) was an Indian playback singer and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest, most influential and dynamic singers in the history of Indian music. He ...

, and actor

Anoop Kumar Kalyan Kumar Ganguly ( bn, কল্যাণ কুমার গাঙ্গুলী) (born 9 January 1926 – 20 September 1997), better known by his stage name Anoop Kumar ( bn, অনুপ কুমার hi, अनूप कुमा ...

are her paternal uncles and her paternal aunt is Sati Devi, married to

Sashadhar Mukherjee Sashadhar Mukherjee (29 September 1909 – 3 November 1990) was an Indian filmmaker in Hindi cinema. He started his career with Bombay Talkies in the 1930s, and later established Filmistan Studio with Rai Bahadur Chunilal (father of music direc ...

(brother of

Subodh Mukherjee Subodh Mukherjee (14 April 1921 – 21 May 2005) was an Indian filmmaker (producer and director) of Hindi-language films. He was the brother of the leading producer-director Sashadhar Mukherjee Sashadhar Mukherjee (29 September 1909 – 3 N ...

) of the

Mukherjee-Samarth family The Mukherjee-Samarth family is a Hindu Bengali-Marathi family that has been involved in the Hindi film industry since the 1930s, Shobhana Samarth having first acted in a film in 1935. The Mukherjee family was connected to the Samarth family by T ...

. Preeti died of a cardiac arrest in Mumbai on 2 December 2012.

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (2005) * ''

Tohfa Mohabbat Ka ''Tohfa Mohabbat Ka'' is a 1988 Bollywood drama film directed by Ram Govind and produced by Maya Govind. Cast * Raj Kumar * Kimi Katkar * Hema Malini * Preeti Ganguli * Johnny Lever * Gulshan Grover * Bharat Kapoor Music Anup Jalota Anup J ...

'' (1988) * ''

Uttar Dakshin Uttar Dakshin () is a 1987 Hindi-language action drama film produced by Ashok Khanna and Subhash Ghai, directed by Prabhat Khanna and featuring Rajinikanth, Jackie Shroff, Madhuri Dixit and Bharathi in the lead roles. Laxmikant Pyarelal have ...

'' (1987) * ''

Kranti ''Kranti'' () is a 1981 Indian historical drama film, produced and directed by Manoj Kumar, with the story and screenplay written by Salim–Javed. It stars an ensemble cast, consisting of Dilip Kumar in the title role along with Manoj Kumar, ...

'' (1981) * ''

Thodisi Bewafai ''Thodisi Bewafaii'' () is a 1980 Hindi movie written and directed by Esmayeel Shroff. The film stars Rajesh Khanna, Shabana Azmi and Padmini Kohlapure. The music is by Khayyam.The film was a commercial hit and in some cities celebrated as a g ...

'' (1980) * ''

Jhoota Kahin Ka ''Jhoota Kahin Ka'' is a 1979 Bollywood film directed by Ravi Tandon. It stars Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh in pivotal roles. Plot The Rai family consists of four: father, mother, Shanti, and two sons, Ajay and Vijay. While traveling on a ship ...

'' (1979) * '' Dillagi'' (1978) * ''

'' (1978) * ''

Chor Ke Ghar Chor ''Chor Ke Ghar Chor'' is a 1978 Indian Hindi-language film directed by Vijay Sadanah. It stars Ashok Kumar and Pran in lead roles with supporting roles played by Randhir Kapoor, Zeenat Aman, Deven Verma and Raza Murad. Synopsis When an idol o ...

'' (1978) * ''

Damaad ''Damaad'' is a 1978 Bollywood comedy film directed by Rajat Rakshit. It features Amol Palekar, Ranjeeta, Shreeram Lagoo, Tarla Mehta, Preeti Ganguly, Pinchoo Kapoor, Dina Pathak and Jagdeep. The movie is a remake of famous Bengali movie ''M ...

'' (1978) * '' Aahuti'' (1978) * '' Ankh Ka Tara'' (1978) * ''

Anmol Tasveer ''Anmol Tasveer'' is a 1978 Bollywood film directed by Satyen Bose. Cast *Birbal * Manik Dutt *Preeti Ganguli *Anoop Kumar *Ashok Kumar Kumudlal Ganguly (13 October 1911 – 10 December 2001), better known by his stage name Ashok Kumar and ...

'' (1978) * '' Dillagi'' (1978) * ''

Aashiq Hoon Baharon Ka ''Aashiq Hoon Baharon Ka'' () is a 1977 Indian Bollywood romance film drama, directed by J. Om Prakash. The movie was indirectly produced by Rajesh Khanna. It was lavishly mounted—shot in Europe. The climax had action scenes - a crocodile figh ...

'' (1977) * ''

Anurodh ''Anurodh'' (English: ''Request'') is a 1977 Hindi musical drama film, based on the 1963 Bengali film ''Deya Neya'', produced by Girija Samanta and directed by Shakti Samanta. The film stars Rajesh Khanna, Vinod Mehra, Simple Kapadia who ma ...

'' (1977) ...Manjeet * '' Saheb Bahadur'' (1977) * '' Balika Badhu'' (1976) * '' Khel Khel Mein'' (1975) * ''

Rani Aur Lalpari ''Rani Aur Lalpari'' is a 1975 Indian Hindi-language children's fantasy film directed by Ravikant Nagaich and produced by Hari Prasad Nagaich and Rani Nagaich of Guru Enterprising Movies. The film stars Baby Raani in the lead role with an ensemb ...

'' (1975) * '' Dhuen Ki Lakeer'' (1974) * (swami) (1977)

References

External links

* Actresses in Hindi cinema Actresses from Mumbai Indian women comedians 20th-century Indian actresses 1953 births 2012 deaths {{India-film-actor-stub