Priya Rajvansh’s most popular film is Heer Raanjha, which was released in 1970 and in this film she was paired opposite superstar Raaj Kumar.
Born on December 30, 1936, Priya Rajvansh was the superstar of Bollywood in 1970s as she has worked in popular films of that era, including Heer Raanjha (1970) and Hanste Zakhm (1973). Priya Rajvansh’s original name was Veera Sunder Singh. She was born in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh and her father was a Conservator in the Forest Department. Priya Rajvansh was inclined towards acting from an early age and that’s why she joined the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, UK after completing her graduation.
Priya Rajvansh’s entry in Bollywood is quite dramatic as when she was in London one of her photographs caught the attention of Thakur Ranveer Singh, who was a famous film maker of that time. In 1962, Ranveer Singh brought Priya to meet Chetan Anand, (brother of Dev Anand and Vijay Anand) and she was cast for Haqeeqat (1964), which was made by Chetan Anand. Soon, Chetan Anand and Priya Rajvansh started dating each other and she decided to work only in Chetan Anand’s films.
Priya’s most popular film is Heer Raanjha, which was released in 1970. In Heer Ranjha, Priya Rajvansh was paired opposite superstar Raaj Kumar. The film proved to be a big hit. Her other notable films are Hanste Zakhm, Hindustan Ki Kasam (1973), Kudrat (1981) and Saheb Bahadur. Priya Rajvansh’s last film was Haathon Ki Lakeeren, which was released in 1985. Priya bid adieu to acting after this film.
Priya Rajvansh and Chetan Anand started living together, though the two did not get married. When Chetan Anand died in 1997, he named her also in her will and she inherited a part of his property along with Chetan’s two sons from his first marriage. Priya was murdered in Chetan Anand’s bungalow in Mumbai on March 27, 2000. Chetan Anand’s sons Ketan Anand and Vivek Anand were charged by the police for the murder and they were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in July 2002 by a trial court. They were however granted bail in November 2002 and in 2011, the Bombay High Court agreed to hear their appeal challenging the order of the trial court. The appeal is still in the hearing stage.
