Bina Rai, the queen of beauty, was one of the powerful heroines of the heyday of Hindi cinema. At that time, a film would cost 1.5 lakh rupees. Born on July 13, 1931 in Lahore, this living beauty idol looked as gentle on screen as her acting was deep. She mesmerised the audience with her acting in the 1950s, especially in 'Anarkali' (1953). Its songs and her performance are still alive in people's minds. There is also a great anecdote related to this. Her younger son, Kailash Nath, said in an interview a few years ago that Mughal-e-Azam was also offered to her, but she flatly refused to do it. She said, "An impression has been made and I will not repeat it." Later, this role went to the one whom her husband Premnath wanted to marry and she was Madhubala.
It was a time when a hero would get fifty thousand to one lakh rupees for a film, but an actress like Bina Rai would be paid 1.5 lakh rupees. In that era, it was not just a fee, but the price of change in the industry. Bina Rai made her stardom based on her hard work. Films were made and sold in her name.
Bina Rai's real name was Krishna Sareen. Her father was an officer in the railways. After the partition of India and Pakistan, her family came to Kanpur and she continued her studies from here. After this, she took admission in Isabella Thoburn College, Lucknow. From here, her interest in acting started growing. She started participating in college plays and gradually her confidence started increasing.
One day, she saw an advertisement in the newspaper, which said that director Kishore Sahu is looking for a new actress for his film and a talent contest has been organised for this. Bina Rai decided to participate in this contest, but her family was against it. In those days, the film industry was not considered good for girls, but Bina Rai did not lose courage and went on a hunger strike. Her family had to bow down to her stubbornness and she went to Mumbai.
Bina Rai won the talent contest and got Rs 25,000 as a prize. At that time, this amount was considered quite big. Also, she was signed for the film 'Kali Ghata' with Kishore Sahu. Her beauty and acting in the film caught everyone's attention. But she got real recognition from the 1953 film 'Anarkali', in which she played the title role. The success of this film made Bina Rai a star overnight. The songs, dialogues and her acting in the film were so natural that people started considering her the real Anarkali.
After the success of 'Anarkali'. Asif had offered her a role in his film 'Mughal-e-Azam', but Bina Rai refused to do the role. Later, this role was given to Madhubala, and the film created history. After this, she appeared in many great films like 'Ghunghat' (1960), 'Taj Mahal' (1963), 'Genghis Khan', 'Pyaar Ka Sagar', and 'Shagoofa'. She also received the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for the film 'Ghunghat'.
Bina Rai's film career lasted for about 15 years. When her career was at its peak, she decided to get married and settle down. She married famous actor Premnath in 1952. After marriage, she gradually distanced herself from the film industry and started giving time to her family. She had two sons, one of whom, Prem Kishan, later appeared in films himself. Bina breathed her last on December 6, 2009. In the 1950s, when the film industry was run by men, Bina Rai worked on her terms and ruled the hearts of people with her acting. This is the reason why people remember her even today. As an actress, she added colour to the black and white era.
