{"id":5617,"date":"2025-08-16T09:57:17","date_gmt":"2025-08-16T09:57:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/16\/this-sholay-actress-married-at-12-was-bollywoods-beloved-mausi-bollywood-news\/"},"modified":"2025-08-16T09:57:17","modified_gmt":"2025-08-16T09:57:17","slug":"this-sholay-actress-married-at-12-was-bollywoods-beloved-mausi-bollywood-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/16\/this-sholay-actress-married-at-12-was-bollywoods-beloved-mausi-bollywood-news\/","title":{"rendered":"This Sholay Actress, Married At 12, Was Bollywood\u2019s Beloved\u00a0\u2018Mausi\u2019 | Bollywood News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"story-9509073\">\n<p><span class=\"jsx-730caffcddfd709\">Last Updated:<\/span><time class=\"jsx-730caffcddfd709\">August 16, 2025, 15:17 IST<\/time><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"asubttl-9509073\" class=\"jsx-4625396a04d15488 jsx-535872945 asubttl-schema\">Audiences still recall Leela Mishra as \u2018Mausi\u2019 in the 1975 classic Sholay, but talent was recognised in 1981 when she played Naani Maa.<\/h2>\n<div class=\"jsx-45a692afa6f47900 artsharwrp\">\n<div id=\"artshare\" class=\"jsx-45a692afa6f47900 artshare\">\n<div class=\"jsx-45a692afa6f47900 stickdiv\">\n<div class=\"jsx-45a692afa6f47900 deskwrapstkdiv\">\n<div class=\"jsx-45a692afa6f47900 fontchange\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.news18.com\/dlxczavtqcctuei\/news18\/static\/images\/english\/font.svg\" height=\"30px\" width=\"30px\" alt=\"font\" class=\"jsx-45a692afa6f47900 lazyload\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"jsx-4625396a04d15488 jsx-535872945 amimg\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Leela Mishra got married at just 12 and became a mother at the age of 17. (Photo Source: Instagram)\" title=\"Leela Mishra got married at just 12 and became a mother at the age of 17. (Photo Source: Instagram)\" src=\"https:\/\/images.news18.com\/ibnlive\/uploads\/2021\/07\/1627283897_news18_logo-1200x800.jpg?impolicy=website&amp;width=400&amp;height=225\" loading=\"eager\" fetchpriority=\"high\" class=\"jsx-4625396a04d15488 jsx-535872945\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Leela Mishra got married at just 12 and became a mother at the age of 17. (Photo Source: Instagram)<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p id=\"0\" class=\"story_para_0\">Leela Mishra was one of the most respected actresses in Indian cinema, known for her natural screen presence and powerful performances. She has worked for over 50 years and has appeared in more than 200 films. Audiences still recall her as \u2018Mausi\u2019 from the 1975 classic Sholay. Her talent was recognised in 1981 when she played Naani Maa, for which she earned the Best Actress award at the age of 73. The former actress got married at the age of 12 and became a mother at 17. Even after suffering a paralysis attack on set once, she chose to work. Let\u2019s look closer at her inspiring journey.<\/p>\n<p id=\"1\" class=\"story_para_1\"><strong>Leela Mishra\u2019s Early Life<\/strong><\/p>\n<p id=\"2\" class=\"story_para_2\">Her entry into films happened unexpectedly. She was discovered by Mama Shinde, who worked with Dadasaheb Phalke\u2019s Nasik Cinetone. He convinced her husband, Ram Prasad Mishra, to let her act in movies. During that time, there was a major shortage of women actors in the industry, due to which she remained in demand and often much higher salary than male actors.<\/p>\n<p id=\"3\" class=\"story_para_3\"><strong>Why She Chose Character Roles Over Lead Roles<\/strong><\/p>\n<p id=\"4\" class=\"story_para_4\">From her early years in cinema, Leela Mishra often played roles far older than her actual age. Actor Tabassum once shared a special memory about the late actress on her YouTube channel. She recalled interviewing the veteran actress in the 1970s, where Mishra openly spoke about why she never chose to be a leading lady. Mishra explained that the values she grew up with made it hard for her to play romantic roles on screen. She wasn\u2019t comfortable with confessing or showing love to a stranger in front of the camera. Because of this, she decided to do character roles. Despite her unique choice, it made her an unforgettable actress. Audiences love her for her strong screen presence as a mother, aunt or grandmother, which became her identity.<\/p>\n<p id=\"6\" class=\"story_para_6\"><strong>Dedication Even After Personal Tragedy<\/strong><\/p>\n<p id=\"7\" class=\"story_para_7\">While working on Daata, alongside Mithun Chakraborty, Prem Chopra and Padmini Kolhapure, Leela Mishra faced a heartbreaking moment. During the shoot, she suffered a stroke, which left the entire crew and director shocked. She was immediately taken to Mumbai for treatment, but even in that difficult time, her main concern was not her health; it was her role. Sadly, she passed away soon after, leaving her last film incomplete.<\/p>\n<div class=\"jsx-95088aad1b3c53cd atawrap\">\n<div class=\"jsx-95088aad1b3c53cd atadetailwrp\">\n<div class=\"jsx-95088aad1b3c53cd ataname\"><span class=\"jsx-95088aad1b3c53cd atthumb\"><\/p>\n<figure class=\"jsx-95088aad1b3c53cd\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"authorimg\" src=\"https:\/\/images.news18.com\/ibnlive\/uploads\/2025\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-04-28-at-13.54.32-2025-04-1a68df873a59d2e9970c8a7e91aa53b7.jpeg?impolicy=website&amp;width=60&amp;height=60\" class=\"jsx-95088aad1b3c53cd\"\/><\/figure>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"jsx-95088aad1b3c53cd attitle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/byline\/kashvi-raj-singh-27151.html\" class=\"jsx-95088aad1b3c53cd atamail\">Kashvi Raj Singh<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Kashvi Raj Singh is a Sub Editor at News18. She extensively covers Bollywood, Hollywood and television. She not only keeps an eye out for interesting news angles but also often writes social commentary in long-&#8230;<span class=\"jsx-95088aad1b3c53cd aurpdebtn\">Read More<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Kashvi Raj Singh is a Sub Editor at News18. She extensively covers Bollywood, Hollywood and television. She not only keeps an eye out for interesting news angles but also often writes social commentary in long-&#8230;<!-- --> <span class=\"jsx-95088aad1b3c53cd aurpdebtn\">Read More<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"jsx-4625396a04d15488 jsx-535872945 artcta\">\n<p class=\"p1\">Check latest Bollywood news updates, events and award shows, upcoming <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/movies\/bollywood\/\">hindi movies<\/a> releases, exclusive interviews, box office collections, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/movies\/movie-reviews\/\">reviews<\/a>, trailers, and more. <a href=\"https:\/\/news18.co\/gnps-en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Click here<\/a> to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Download the <a href=\"https:\/\/onelink.to\/eng-article-eop\">News18 App<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"jsx-4625396a04d15488 jsx-535872945 coral-count-custom\">view comments<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"jsx-4625396a04d15488 jsx-535872945 brdcrmb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/\">News<\/a>  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/movies\/\">movies<\/a> \u00bb  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/movies\/bollywood\/\">bollywood<\/a>  <span class=\"brdout\"> This Sholay Actress, Married At 12, Was Bollywood\u2019s Beloved\u00a0\u2018Mausi\u2019<\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"coral-wrap\" class=\"jsx-9278cad478d6a6dc \">\n<div class=\"jsx-9278cad478d6a6dc coral-cont\">\n<div class=\"jsx-9278cad478d6a6dc coltoptxt\">Disclaimer: Comments reflect users\u2019 views, not News18\u2019s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/disclaimer\/\" class=\"jsx-9278cad478d6a6dc\">Terms of Use<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/privacy_policy\/\" class=\"jsx-9278cad478d6a6dc\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/movies\/bollywood\/this-actress-married-at-12-was-bollywoods-beloved-mausi-9509073.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last Updated:August 16, 2025, 15:17 IST Audiences still recall Leela Mishra as \u2018Mausi\u2019 in the 1975 classic Sholay, but talent was recognised in 1981 when she played Naani Maa. Leela Mishra got married at just 12 and became a mother at the age of 17. (Photo Source: Instagram) Leela Mishra was one of the most&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5618,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5617","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-movies"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5617","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5617"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5617\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5618"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5617"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5617"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5617"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}