In the 70s, as the stars of the previous decade like Asha Parekh, Vyjayanthimala, and Saira Banu gave way to younger stars, a lot of young actress began vying for that ‘top spot’. Among the frontrunners were future superstars like Hema Malini, Rekha, and Mumtaz. Among these was another 20-year-old who was regarded as the replacement for Madhubala.
And this actress did well, becoming a star before a spate of personal tragedies saw her leave Bollywood. The overnight star who became one of Bollywood’s top heroines Leena Chandavarkar was born to a Konkani Marathi speaking Army officer at Dharwad in Karnataka in 1950. After her intended debut film Maseeha was shelved in 1969, Leena debuted with Man Ka Meet the following year.
She became an overnight star after the film worked and in the 70s, established herself as one of the top stars. She starred in hits such as Mehboob Ki Mehndi, Bairaag, Anhonee, Humjoli. Between 1969-79, Leena worked with most of the top stars of the era, including Dilip Kumar, Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra, Jeetendra, Vinod Khanna, and Sunil Dutt.
Alongside Rekha, Hema, Mumtaz, and Sharmila Tagore, she was among the highest-paid Bollywood actresses of the 70s. Leena Chandavarkar with Kishore Kumar and son Sumeet How Leena’s personal life was as tragic as her films But while her career was going great, Leena’s personal life was often in tatters. In 1975, she had an arranged marriage to Siddharth Bandodkar, who came from a prominent Goan political family.
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