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The golden era of cinema saw many actors on a rise. While some achieved fame and became superstars others faded away into oblivion. Today in this series of 'meet the star', let's go back in time and try to dig deeper into one such top actress who ruled the late 60s and 70s with her impeccable acting chops and beauty. She was Priya Rajvansh, the 'Heer' from 'Heer Raanjha'.
Born as Veera Sunder Singh in Shimla, her father Sunder Singh was a Conservator in the Forest Department. She studied at Auckland House and Convent of Jesus and Mary, Shimla. She passed intermediate from St. Bede's College, Shimla in 1953, and joined Bhargava Municipal College (BMC), during this period, she acted in several English plays at Shimla's noted Gaiety Theatre.
She made her debut in 1964 release Haqeeqa, directed by Chetan Anand, elder brother of superstar Dev Anand and Vijay Anand. What followed was 'Heer Raanjha' in 1970, opposite actor Raaj Kumar. The movie was a massive hit.
Soon after her debut, rumours of a strong relationship between Priya and her mentor Chetan Anand (who had separated from his wife) began. Although Priya was younger to Chetan by many years, the duo continued to work together in almost all their films, thus further cementing the bond of love.
The two of them were rock solid together.
According to reports, after Chetan Anand's death in 1997, she inherited a part of his property along with his sons from his first marriage. She was murdered on March 27, 2000 in Chetan Anand's Ruia Park bungalow in Juhu, Mumbai, India.
Chetan Anand's sons Ketan Anand and Vivek Anand along with their employees Mala Choudhary and Ashok Chinnaswamy were charged with her murder. The motive behind her killing was reported to be the rights to her inheritance of Chetan Anand's property.
Wikipedia states that actress's handwritten notes and a letter addressed to Vijay Anand were produced in court as evidence by the prosecution, hinting at her fear and anxiety during the period prior to her death under mysterious circumstances.
The four accused were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in July 2002 but they were granted bail in November 2002. In 2011, the Bombay High Court agreed to hear the appeals filed by the accused duo against the trial court's order.
Some of her notable works include Haqeeqat, Heer Raanjha, Hindustan Ki Kasam, Hanste Zakhm, Saheb Bahadur, Kudrat and Haathon Ki Lakeeren. She quit her acting career in 1985 with Haathon Ki Lakeeren marking her last imprint in cinematic history.
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