Hindi film comedienne and singer Tun Tun died in Mumbai today. The 80 year-old actress had been ailing for a while.
Born Uma Devi Khatri in Uttar Pradesh, Tun Tun came to Mumbai when she was 13 years old to become a singer.
While she had quite a few songs to her credit in films like Dard, Dillagi, and Raat, fate had something else in store for her.
One of her closest friends, music composer Naushad, suggested that she take up acting, as she had great comic timing.
As Tun Tun, she went on to star in films like Heer Ranjha, Qurbani and Namak Halal and became quite a hit with cine-goers. Her last film was Ek Aadmi in 1988.
The actress, who is survived by two sons, had been living as a recluse for the past few years. She was last spotted at a felicitation function of the Cine Artiste Association, which honoured her for her contribution to the film industry.
Condoling her death, CAA president Chandrashekhar said, "Her death is a major loss to the film industry." He recalled that she had acted in his film, Street Singer, way back in 1965 and said she was a wonderful and versatile actress, who rendered roles with great ease and perfection.
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