Bina Rai was a leading Bollywood actress who was prominent in the black and white era of Hindi cinema. She had appeared in classics like Taj Mahal and Anarkali. The films in which she appeared alongside the famed Bollywood actor Pradeep Kumar became much successful at the box office earning her critical acclamations and a Filmfare Award. Apart from acting Bina Rai had also ventured into film production along with her husband Prem Nath.

Early Life of Bina Rai
Bina Rai was born on 4th June 1931 as Krishna Sarin in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. She spent her childhood in Kanpur and later moved out of the city for pursuing a career in the world of acting. She had a tough time convincing her parents for stepping into the acting world and finally they relented to her wish. She had also attended the Isabella Thoburn College of Lucknow as a student of Arts. Bina Rai was also active in the college dramatics.

Career of Bina Rai
While in the first year of her college, in 1950, Bina Rai came across an advertisement for a talent contest. She applied for the same and subsequently received a call from the sponsors. She thus moved to Bombay for participating in the contest which she won along with 25,000 rupees in prize money. Following this she made her cinematic debut in the year 1951 in Kishore Sahu"s Kali Ghata as the lead actress. The film also featured Kishore Sahu in the lead role. Bina Rai had acted in many of her films with her husband Prem Nath. For the first time the couple was paired together in the 1953 Bollywood flick Aurat. The film was a Bollywood adaptation of the tragic Biblical tale of Samson and Delilah. The movie was not much successful but it paved the way for the marriage of the lead actors. Bina Rai, along with her husband then established a production unit, known as P. N. Films. The first film of their production unit was Shagufa in the year 1954, in which Bina Rai and Prem Nath appeared in lead roles, but it failed to attain success at the box office. The films which followed featuring the pair in lead roles include Watan, Samunder and Golconda, none of which clicked on the screen.

Bina Rai"s most memorable films had Pradeep Kumar in the lead role. In 1953 she essayed the title role in the movie Anarkali. In 1960 she acted in Ghunghat while in 1963 she starred in Taj Mahal. Bina Rai retired from the acting world ages ago claiming that after a certain age actresses don"t get good roles.

Achievements of Bina Rai
In the year Bina Rai won Filmfare Best Actress Award for her praiseworthy portrayal in the movie Ghunghat.

Personal Life of Bina Rai
Bina Rai married Bollywood actor Prem Nath in 1950s. The couple had two sons Prem Kishen and Kailash (Monty). Her grandchildren are Sidharth and Akansha. Her sister-in-law Krishna was married to the actor-director Raj Kapoor and thus was a part of the Kapoor family.

Death of Bina Rai
Bina Rai died of a cardiac arrest on 6th December 2009 in Mumbai.

Filmography of Bina Rai