Leela Chitnis, 93; Indian Actress Had Career That Spanned Five Decades

Leela Chitnis, 93, a star in the early days of India’s Bollywood when actresses were looked down upon as prostitutes, died Monday in a care facility in Danbury, Conn., of complications from a fall.

The dark-haired actress with trademark arched eyebrows appeared in some 40 films from 1936 to 1978, beginning with controversial pictures made by Bombay Talkies, which challenged Indian traditions such as the caste system. Although her profession brought initial social disapproval, she continued working to support her four children from a failed marriage.

Chitnis moved gracefully from leading lady to character actress as she aged. She appeared in several films with Ashok Kumar, who later became one of India’s leading actors. Her best-known film was “The Vagabond” in 1951.

Although Chitnis made millions of dollars, her earnings were dissipated by a bad second marriage, her children’s medical bills and various business failures. After moving to the U.S. in the 1980s, she supported herself as a baby-sitter, housekeeper and librarian.