Zaheeda Hussain (born 9 October 1944), commonly known by her

mononym A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. In some cases, a mononym selected by an individual may have originally been from a polynym, a word which refers to one o ...

Zaheeda, is an Indian former actress. Born in Mumbai, she is daughter of Akhtar Hussain, who was film producer and the son of director Jaddanbai. Her aunt was actress

Nargis Dutt Nargis Dutt (born Fatima Rashid; 1 June 1929 – 3 May 1981) was an Indian actress and politician who worked in Hindi cinema. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in the history of Indian cinema, she made her screen debut in a minor role ...

, and her uncle was character actor Anwar Hussain. Zaheeda is best known for appearing in films such as ''

Anokhi Raat ''Anokhi Raat'' () is a 1968 Hindi film produced by L. B. Lachman and L. B. Thakur and directed by Asit Sen. The film stars Sanjeev Kumar, Zaheeda Hussain, Aruna Irani, Keshto Mukherjee and Parikshit Sahni. It has music by Roshan. The film ha ...

'' (1968), ''

Gambler Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three eleme ...

'' (1971), and '' Prem Pujari'' (1970). She was originally offered by

Dev Anand Dharamdev Pishorimal Anand (26 September 1923 – 3 December 2011), better known as Dev Anand, was an Indian actor, writer, director and producer known for his work in Hindi cinema, through a career that spanned over six decades. He was ...

to appear as Jasbir/Janice in the cult-film ''Hare Rama Hare Krishna'' (1971), however she turned it down as she was reluctant to play the hero’s sister, and wanted to play the role of his beloved (played by Mumtaz); the role of Jasbir/ Janice went to Zeenat Aman and she had shot to fame. Meanwhile, Zaheeda continued to play the heroine and majority of her later films flopped, leading her to eventually retire the film industry.

Personal life

Zaheeda Hussain later married a businessman, Kesri Nandan Sahay and retired from the film industry. She has two sons, one of which,

Nilesh Sahay Nilesh Sahay is an Indian Film Producer, Writer and Director. Sahay made his film debut in Ganesh Acharaya's 2011 film ''Angel''. He later turned film maker/ producer and started shooting '' Squad'', his directorial debut, in september 2019 a ...

, made his feature film debut with choreographer

Ganesh Acharya Ganesh Acharya is an Indian choreographer, film director, and actor who prominently works in Bollywood. He won the National Film Award for Best Choreography for his work on the songs "Hawan Kund" from Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013) and "Gori tu lat ...

's' ''

Angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

'' in 2011.

Selected filmography

References

External links

* Living people 1944 births 20th-century Indian actresses Indian film actresses Actresses from Mumbai Actresses in Hindi cinema {{India-film-actor-stub