Sify

Mumbai, Feb 16: Yesteryears' actress Manorama, known for her comic and negative roles, died here Friday. She was last seen in Deepa Mehta's Oscar nominated "Water". 

The portly woman with exaggerated eyelashes and expressions was popularly known for roles like the wicked aunt in "Seeta Aur Geeta", "Ek Phool Do Maali" and "Do Kaliyan".

However, she is also said to have worked as a heroine in quite a few movies when she started her acting career in Lahore (now in Pakistan) over six decades ago, according to one of her former colleagues.

She married Raja Naqsar, also an actor. The couple migrated to Mumbai after partition in 1947 where Raja became a producer.

She could often drive audiences into splits by her mere presence. She later appeared in a couple of TV serials.

Almost forgotten by the industry, Manorama surprised many when she appeared in "Water" as the head of a widow's ashram in Varanasi. The film, set in the early 20th Century, revolved around the plight of widows in India forced into isolation and often prostitution.