Jai Santoshi Maa actor and dancer Bela Bose dies at 79

Character actor and dancer Bela Bose, a familiar face in films such as Jai Santoshi Maa, Bandini and Professor, has died, her spokesperson said. She was 79. Bose passed away after a cardiac arrest at MGM hospital in Vashi on Monday, her spokesperson said. Her last rites were performed on Tuesday morning in the presence of family and close friends.

Bose, a trained Manipuri dancer, state level swimmer and skilled painter, started her film career with Raj Kapoor‘s 1959 movie Main Nashe Mein Hoon and went on to act in more than 200 Hindi and regional Indian movies.

Bose appeared in dance numbers and in supporting roles in a range of films through the years. These included Chitralekha, Anita, Shikar and Sau Din Saas Ke. She was married to actor and filmmaker Asis Kumar and is survived by her son and daughter.