Biopic On Sitara Devi Announced On Her 101st Birth Anniversary

New Delhi: Producer Raj C Anand on Monday announced a biopic on actress, singer and dancer Sitara Devi’s 101st birth anniversary (November 8).

The pre-production work is currently underway.

Sitara Devi was a Kathak dancer, a singer and an actress. She won the Padma Shree award in 1973 and the Kalidas Samman and Nritya Nipuna awards in the 90s. However, the actress refused to accept the Padma Bhushan award and said, “Is this government not aware of my contribution to Kathak? I will not accept any award less than Bharat Ratna.”

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh took to Twitter to share the announcement and wrote, “BIOPIC ON SITARA DEVI ANNOUNCED ON HER BIRTH ANNIVERSARY… A biopic on legendary #SitaraDevi has been announced on her 101st birth anniversary by producer Raj C Anand [Raj Anand Movies]… The eminent dancer-singer-actress was recipient of several awards, including #PadmaShree (sic).”

Sitara Devi is credited with reforming Kathak. She made her debut with Usha Haran (1940) and followed it up with films such as Nagina (1951), Roti, Vatan, and Anjali among others.

Apart from Kathak, Sitara also learned many dance forms, including Bharatanatyam and Russian ballet. She taught Kathak to actresses Madhubala, Rekha, Kajol and Mala Sinha. She died in 2014 after a prolonged illness.