Kanan Kaushal – Film actress of ‘Jai Santoshi Maa’ fame

Kanan Kaushal is a former Indian film and stage actress who predominantly worked in Marathi movies. Yet she is best known for playing the lead role of Satyavati Vyas in 1975 Bollywood blockbuster – ‘Jai Santoshi Maa’. Despite being a low-budget film with less-known Hindi star cast apart from a few Marathi actors, the film went on to become one of the best blockbusters of Bollywood cinema ever, reaching at position 2 in year 1975 behind India’s biggest film – Sholay. Sati Sulochana (1969), Pardesi (1970) and Jai Dwarkadheesh (1977) are her other major works.

Kanan Kaushal was born as Indumati Sheth on 21 March 1939 in Baroda. She was a stage actress before joining films. She worked in Hindi, Bhojpuri, Marathi and Gujarati language films. She joined film scene in 1963 and was active in the industry till early 1990s. Her role as devotee of Santoshi Maa in ‘Jai Santoshi Maa’ is one of the best appreciated roles among devotional movies of Hindi cinema. Songs like ‘Mein To Aarti Uthaaroongi’ filmed on her became huge chart busters.

Kanan Kaushal – Some interesting and less-known facts

1. Though she expected to receive good roles post the huge success of ‘Jai Santoshi Maa’, she didn’t get it. For Hindi audience she is still known for this single movie.

2. She worked in 80 movies belonging to 4 different languages.