#GoldenFrames: Purnima, the actress from the 40s & 50s who reigned the Bollywood industry - Purnima Das Verma was a popula- Navbharat Times Photodhamal

1/12

Purnima Das Verma was a popular actress in Hindi movies from the late 40s to 50s. She appeared in many movies, including 'Patanga' (1949), 'Jogan' (1950), 'Sagai' (1951), 'Jaal' (1952) and 'Aurat' (1953). She acted in more than two hundred movies.

In This Pic : purnima das verma, meherbano mohammad ali

#GoldenFrames: Pictorial Biography of Purnima Das Verma

2/12

She was born as Meherbhano Mohammad Ali on March 2, 1934, to a Muslim mother from Lucknow and Tamil Brahmin father, Ram Sheshadri Ayangar. Her father worked as an accountant with a film director and producer, Kikubhai Desai.

In This Pic : purnima das verma, meherbano mohammad ali

3/12

Purnima had five siblings, including four sisters and one brother. Shirin, one of her sisters, was a Hindi film actress who married film director Nanabhai Bhatt. Shirin suggested Meherbano go by the screen name of Purnima.

In This Pic : purnima das verma, meherbano mohammad ali

4/12

Purnima started working in Hindi and Gujarati movies during her schooling days. She was hardly sixteen years old when she debuted in two movies in the same year—'Manager (1947) and 'Tum Aur Main' (1947).

In This Pic : purnima das verma, meherbano mohammad ali

5/12

Her neighbour and filmmaker Raman B Desai offered to cast her as Radha in his movie 'Radheshyam' (1948). She played the second lead alongside Bharat Bhushan and Shashikala in Kidar Sharma's movie 'Thes' (1949).

In This Pic : purnima das verma, meherbano mohammad ali