Silverscreen Goddesses...

The Charming Chitra

I was looking for some information about the beautiful and charming Chitra for quite some time. But was not getting any concrete information. I first saw her on television as a kid in melodious song "Mere mehboob na ja" from Noor Mahal (1965). I asked my father who that actress was and he said her name is Chitra. (My father is my living encyclopedia). Some days back I happened to watch her again in Reporter Raju (1962) and decided to write about her.

In ZImbo (1958)

In Reporter Raju (1962)

Her real name was Afsar Unissa Begum but her birth date is not available. She was a popular actress of low budget films throughout '50s & '60s. Chitra hails from Hyderabad. she would often visit Bombay for holidays and loved to watch films. She met Kamal Amrohi when she was only 11 but Amrohi asked her to wait for a few years. 3-4 years later P N Arora was looking for a new girl for his upcoming production. He wanted a girl who would look innocent and bubbly at the same time. Chitra fitted the role perfectly and got her first break opposite Shammi Kapoor in Chor Bazaar (1954). 

In Chor Bazaar with Shammi Kapoor & Om Prakash

She liked Nargis very much. She looked upon her as a great artist. She was also influenced by Meena Kumari. And when she saw her in Baiju Bawra, she knew she wanted to be an actress. One of her early releases was Maan opposite Ajit. Many dance numbers were pictured on her as she worked in many costume dramas. She got to perform on many melodious numbers. Some of her well known songs are: Dil lutnewale jadugar from Madari (1959), Tara ra ra rum from Hoor-e-Arab (1955), Mere mehboob na ja from Noor Mahal (1965), Ye kiya kaisa tune jadu from Zimbo (1958), Main to jaun na jamuna kinare from Baap Bate (1959) and many more. 

But after doing over a hundred B grade or low budget films, Chitra became too choosy in selecting projects and in the process lost a lot of time. Work stopped coming her way and she retired in late '60s. She breathed her last on 11th January, 2006 following a prolonged illness. 

Selected Filmography

Chor Bazaar-1954 Maan-1954 Tilottama-1954 Aaj Ki Baat-1955 Andher Nagri Choupat Raja-1955 Baghdad Ka Chor-1955 Darbar-1955 Hatimtai-1955 Hoor-e-Arab-1955 Roop Basant-1955 Sakhi Hatim-1955 Son Of Alibaba-1955 Alam Ara-1956 Baghi Sardar-1956 Basre Ki Hoor-1956 Indra Sabha-1956 Kala Chor-1956 Lal-E-Yaman-1956 Naqab Posh-1956 Noor-E-Yaman-1956 Sultan-E-Alam-1956 Zindagi Ke Mele-1956 Bansari Bala-1957 Neelofar-1957

Pak Daman-1957 Parvin-1957 Sati Pariksha-1957 Shahi Bazar-1957 Kabhi Andhera Kabhi Ujala-1958 Khazanchi-1958 Sair-E-Paristan-1958 Shan-E-Hatim-1958 Zimbo-1958 Baap Bete-1959 Behram Daku-1959 Madari-1959 Nek Khatoon-1959 O Tera Kya Kehana-1959 Sahil-1959 Do Dost-1960 Pedro-1960 Qatil-1960 Zalim Tera Jawab Nahin-1960 Zimbo Comes To Town-1960 Howrah Express-1961 Murad-1961 Room No. 17-1961

Saaya-1961 Kala Samunder-1962 Maya Jaal-1962 Reporter Raju-1962 Patal Nagri-1963 Tarzan Aur Jadugar-1963 Zarak Khan-1963 Challenge-1964 Idd Ka Chand-1964 Jadui Anguthi-1964 Khufia Mahal-1964 Magic Carpet-1964 Tarzan & Capitain Kishore-1964 Tarzan & Delilah-1964 Tarzan & Jalpari-1964 Baghi Haseena-1965 Chhupa Rustom-1965 Main Hoon Jadugar-1965 Noor Mahal-1965 Shai Lootera-1965 Tarzan And Circus-1965 Jadoo-1966