Urmila Bhatt

Urmila Bhatt (1 November 1933–22 February 1997) was a distinguished Indian character actress known for her compelling supporting roles across stage, film, and television. Born in Dehradun, she began her journey in performing arts through drama theatre, and later honed her skills in folk dance and singing at the Sangeet Kala Academy in Rajkot. It was here that her performance in the Gujarati drama Jesal Toral captivated audiences — the play was staged over a thousand times, underlining her early theatrical acclaim

Transitioning to cinema in the late 1960s, Urmila made her Hindi film debut with B.R. Chopra’s Hamraaz (1967), quickly followed by roles in Gauri and Sunghursh (both 1968). Over her prolific career, she portrayed more than 125 roles in Hindi films, alongside around 75 Gujarati and 15–20 Rajasthani films

Urmila became celebrated for her maternal character roles — she was one of the most recognized screen mothers of her time, especially noted for playing Amitabh Bachchan’s mother in films like Khoon Pasina and Do Anjaane, matching in popularity only to Nirupa Roy

Her television career was impactful too, most notably with her role as Maharani Sunaina in Ramayan (1987), and Sharda Sharma in Paying Guest (1985). She also appeared in episodes of Bharat Ek Khoj (1989) and Zee Horror Show (1996)

Tragically, on 22 February 1997, Urmila Bhatt was found murdered in her Juhu residence in Mumbai. The incident shocked the film fraternity and fans alike. Although robbery was initially suspected, the investigation remained inconclusive. She was survived by her husband, theatre actor-director Markand Bhatt, and their two children.