Rs 10 For Debut At 13 To Leading Bollywood Actress, A Look At Jaya Prada's Career

Jaya Prada is regarded as one of the most accomplished and talented actresses in Indian cinema. She is widely revered for her acting prowess in the films Sharaabi, Siri Siri Muvva and others. She embarked on her acting career with the Telugu film Bhoomikosam directed by KB Tilak. She was 13 at the time of her debut and was merely paid Rs 10. Jaya Prada, however, soon rose to prominence and acted alongside stalwarts like Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra and Jeetendra.

Her on-screen pairing with Jeetendra was particularly admired by the fans and they both acted in many superhit films. Besides her nuanced acting skills, Jaya Prada also charmed the audience with her dancing skills. One such song is Aa Jao Nagraja from the film Maqsad. Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle rendered the vocals for this track. Bappi Lahiri composed the track while Indeevar penned the lyrics.

Maqsad (1984) was a major commercial success upon its release and grossed Rs 4.25 crore at the box office. It also became the second highest-grossing Indian film of 1984.

Jaya Prada left the film industry when she was at the pinnacle of her career. She joined the Telugu Desam Party and also became an MP in the Rajya Sabha. She then joined the Samajwadi Party and got elected to Lok Sabha from Rampur. She then joined the Bharatiya Janata Party and was defeated by the SP leader Azam Khan in Rampur during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Jaya Prada also dominated the news headlines after she was sentenced a jail for 6 months by the Egmore court in Chennai on August 11, 2023. She was also fined Rs 5,000 in connection with an unpaid ESI scandal. Jaya’s business partners, Ram Kumar and Raja Babu were also found guilty in the case along with her. Reportedly, Jaya and her partners operated a cinema theatre in Rayapeta, Chennai. Their venture suffered heavy losses, due to which they had to shut down the theatre. After this, the staff members working at the theatre filed a case against Jaya and her partners for not repaying the ESI amount, which was deducted from their salaries.