Suraiya

She died of old age in 2004 at the age of 75. Varsi suffered from Lyme disease, which contributed to her death from respiratory failure. Suraiya remained unmarried all her life. It was the last time she was seen on film. She fell in love with him but her grandmother opposed the relationship. Varsi appears only for a moment in the film and is almost unrecognizable; Deborah, the central character, crumples in misery on the floor of the dayroom, and Varsi breaks away from the wall, kneels by Deborah's side, and whispers a Roman Catholic blessing. During the shooting of a song, a boat capsized and Dev Anand saved Suraiya from drowning. In the book, Sylvia was a patient in the mental hospital who ordinarily stood frozen by the wall and very rarely spoke, although completely aware of everything around her.

Suraiya was romantically involved with actor Dev Anand and the two of them did six films together. Another very brief but memorable Varsi role was Sylvia in I Never Promised You A Rose Garden, based on the Joanne Greenberg novel about a Jewish teen whose allegiance to an alternate universe called the Kingdom Of Yr has led to her being diagnosed as a schizophrenic. She stayed at "Krishna Mahal", her Marine Drive residence in Mumbai until her death in 2004. Varsi was rendered virtually mute and had to dub in her voice parts later. Her last film was Rustom Sohrab (1963) following which she kept away from films. The director, John Korty, would not let Varsi off for her dad's funeral. She made a comeback with Waaris and Mirza Ghalib (1954). Her portrayal of the would-be Oldest One with a dead-flat affect but compassionate expression and soft, recollected speaking voice was partly caused by the death of her father just before filming began.

Her reign at the top was brief and her films started flopping in the 1950s. Science fiction and fantasy film fans probably remember Varsi best as Valancy Carmody in The People, a 1972 ABC-TV Movie of the Week based on a story by Zenna Henderson about peaceful alien refugees living on earth. After three hits Pyar Ki Jeet (1948), Badi Bahen and Dillagi (1949), she became the highest paid female star. She appeared in the films Ten North Frederick (1958) and Compulsion (1959) and worked steadily throughout the 1960s. Her film career faded by the end of the decade and during the 1970s she played several television roles. The years 1948-49 were the best of her career. The same year, she shared a Golden Globe as "Most Promising Newcomer" with Sandra Dee and Carolyn Jones. Suraiya had an edge over her contemporaries Kamini Kaushal and Nargis because she could sing her own songs. Born in San Mateo, California, Varsi made her screen debut in Peyton Place (1958), and received a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

More opportunities appeared for Suraiya after reigning actress Noorjehan migrated to Pakistan during the 1947 partition. Diane Marie Varsi (February 23, 1938 - November 19, 1992) was an American film and television actress. She went on to co-star with Saigal for two more films Omar Khayyam (1946) and Parwana (1947). Saigal who liked her voice during a rehearsal. L.

Asif's Phool (1944), Mehboob's Anmol Ghadi (1946) and Dard (1947). She got the break as a heroine for the movie Tadbir (1945) at the recommendation of K. She initially started by playing secondary roles in films like K. Naushad had heard her voice on the All India Radio where she sang for a children's programme at the insistence of friend Raj Kapoor and neighbour Madan Mohan. Suraiya started her career as a singer the following year when she sang for actress Mehtab under music director Naushad for the movie Sharda.

Vakil noticed the 12-year old girl and chose her to play the role of a young Mumtaz Mahal. She had accompanied her uncle to the sets of Taj Mahal, a 1941 movie by Nanubhai Vakil. She got a break in films with the help of her uncle Zahoor, who was a popular villain of his time. She was a dark plain looking girl and was not trained in music, however she went on to become a successful actress and singer.

Suraiya was born in Lahore (now in Pakistan) and was the only child of her parents. She became a superstar in the 1940s and 50s during the time when actors sang their own songs. Suraiya Jamaal Sheikh (1929 - January 31, 2004) was a singer and actress in Indian films, and was popularly known as Suraiya in the film industry.