Remembering Leela Mishra: The Unforgettable Actress of ‘Sholay’

Many stars in the film world have made a name for themselves in the industry while always putting their own conditions first. One such actress was Leela Mishra, known to many as Basanti’s aunt in the movie ‘Sholay’. The film ‘Sholay’ was released in 1975. Leela Mishra acted in over 300 films, but never removed the veil from her head in any of them. Leela Mishra entered acting at the age of 18, having already become a mother of two children. Initially, her family was against her joining films, but later everyone agreed due to her husband. Leela was married to Ram Prasad Mishra at the age of 12. Ram worked as a character artist in many silent films. Ram’s uncle advised Leela to do films. Ram and Leela were signed for the same film, which was named Sati Sulochana. In this film, Leela received a fee of 500 rupees, while Ram received 150 rupees. However, Leela overshadowed Ram on screen. Leela set a condition on set that she would not remove her veil and would not do romantic roles with any actor. However, these conditions were accepted because of her acting and she did many films. At the age of 18, she played the role of a hero’s mother in the film Honhar, after which she became famous overnight. It is said that many film characters were written seeing her. In the film ‘Sholay,’ despite her short screen time, people loved her. The actress passed away at the age of 80 due to a heart attack, but her name remains established in the industry today.