Kalpana Kartik

Kalpana Kartik Biography

Kalpana Kartik is an actress of Bollywood yesterdays. She was most active during the black and white era of 50’s and later behind the screen. She is better known as the wife of legendary actor, evergreen hero of Bollywood – Dev Anand. Film makers – Chetan Anand and Vijay Anand are her brother-in-laws. She is most remembered for her debut movie – Baazi (1951) and super hit movies, Baazi (1951), Nau Do Gyaraah (1957), House no. 44 (1955), Aandhiyan (1952) and Taxi driver (1954) opposite her future husband then – none other than Dev Anand. As an actress, she has worked in only 5 movies as an actress and most surprising part is that, in all these 5 movies Dev Anand was the leading hero – perhaps a unique record of world cinema! Yet through the roles she played, she is always a memorable face onscreen. She has worked for Navketan Films for Baazi, Taxi driver, Do do gyarah and House no. 44.

Kalpana Kartik’s real name is Mona Singha. She was born on 19 September 1931. She studied in prestigious St Bedes College in Shimla. In the graduation year, she won the Ms. Shimla contest and was noticed by Chetan Anand. He casted her in the movie Baazi which was the debut movie of Guru Dutt. The crime thriller starred Dev Anand and Geeta Bali in the leading roles and Kalpana played the supporting role. This movie is regarded as one of the landmark movies of Hindi cinema. Thus she joined his fledgling film company, Navketan Films with which she has worked for many movies later. It was Chetan who rechristened her giving the screen name Kalpana Kartik.

Kalpana fell in love with Dev Anand while working together in Taxi driver and they got secretly married. Her last film as an actress was Nau Do Gyarah, the debut film of Vijay Anand. After that she worked as Associate Producer for Tere Ghar Ke Samne (1963), Jewel Thief (1967), Prem Pujari (1970), Shareef Badmaash (1973), Heera Panna (1973) and Jaaneman (1976). Again Dev Anand played the leading role in all these movies!!!

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Updated: September 20, 2013