Actress Bina Rai is dead

Noted actress Bina Rai, best known for her roles in films like 'Anarkali' and 'Taj Mahal', passed away on Sunday following a cardiac arrest. The Filmfare Award winning actress, wife of late actor Premnath, was 78 and is survived by her sons Prem Kishen and Monty.

Prem Kishen is a well known television producer who co-owns the television software company, Cinevista. "My mother died of a cardiac arrest at 5 am. The funeral will take place tomorrow," said Monty, the actress's younger son.

Rai, who hailed from Lucknow, entered movies through a talent hunt contest. Her first film was 'Kali Ghata' (1951) opposite Kishore Sahu, who was also the movie's producer.

In the 1950s she married actor Prem Nath, who being the brother-in-law of the actor-filmmaker Raj Kapoor, was part of the Kapoor family.

Rai and Prem Nath had acted together in some films, the first being 'Aurat' (1953). They married and soon set up their own production unit, P.N. Films. Their first film under P N Films banner was Shagufa (1954).

Their subsequent films like 'Samunder' and 'Watan' did not do well. Rai's films with Pradeep Kumar remain her best remembered performances. She played title roles in 'Anarkali' (1953), 'Taj Mahal' (1963) and 'Ghunghat' (1960) with the last once fetched her Filmfare Award for Best Actress.