Meet actress who earned Rs 10 for 1st film, became highest-paid, married at peak of career but remained single due to..

Written By Riddhima Kanetkar | Updated: Feb 13, 2024, 07:57 AM IST

Jaya Prada made her acting debut at the age of just 13 and was paid Rs 10 for her first film. After making her debut in a Telugu film, Jaya Prada entered Bollywood and soon became the highest-paid actress of her time.

Today, we will talk about an actress who had it all - beautiful looks, killer eyes, and a slim body. She was one of the top actresses in Bollywood and gave many hit films in the 70s and 80s. She entered the South film industry and then made her way to Bollywood. She also entered politics and was successful to some extent. The actress also fell in love and got married, but even after becoming a wife, she remained unlucky. 

The actress we are talking about today was the talk of the town when she entered the film industry and managed to capture the hearts of the audiences. But, the kind of joy and triumph this actress experienced in her professional life, could not be replicated in her personal life. Even after marrying for love and becoming a wife, this actress did not get the respect she deserved after marriage. 

The actress we are talking about today is Jaya Prada. Jaya Prada was born Lalitha Rani Rao in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh into a Telugu-speaking family. Her father, Krishna Rao, was a Telugu film financier, and her mother, Neelavani, was a homemaker.

Jaya Prada made her acting debut at the age of just 13 and was paid Rs 10 for her first film. After making her debut in a Telugu film, Jaya Prada entered Bollywood and soon became the highest-paid actress of her time. 

During her career, Jaya Prada did many films with top actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Rakesh Roshan, Rishi Kapoor, and Jeetendra. Her pairing with Jeetendra was extremely loved by the audience. 

Even after being so successful, Jaya Prada had a controversial personal life and remained in the headlines for them. 

In February 1986, she married producer Srikanth Nahata, who was already married to Chandra and had 2 children. This marriage soon became controversial as Nahata did not divorce his wife and had a third child with her even after marrying Jaya Prada.

Srikant Nahata refused to divorce his first wife which created bitterness in his relationship with Jaya Prada and the marriage eventually ended.

Due to her tumultuous personal life and producers too, sidelining her from films, Jaya Prada left the film industry at the peak of her career and joined the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in 1994. She was a Member of Parliament (MP) from Rampur, Uttar Pradesh from 2004 to 2014.

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