Ila Arun is an Indian actress, TV personality and Rajasthani folk and folk-pop singer. She has appeared in many prominent Bollywood movies such as Lamhe, Jodhaa Akbar, Shaadi Ke Side Effects and Begum Jaan.
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Ila Arun
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Ila Arun in 2016
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| Background information | |
| Born | 15 March 1954 Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India |
| Origin | India |
| Genres | Indian film music, playback, classical, pop |
| Occupations | Singer, actress |
| Instruments | Vocalist |
| Years active | 1979–present |
Personal life
Arun was born on 15 March 1954 in Jodhpur in Rajasthan. She hails from Jaipur . She is the sister of Piyush Pandey and Prasoon Pandey. Her mother was Bhagwati Pandey. Ila Arun is the mother Ishita Arun.
Playback singing
Arun has sung numerous film songs in Hindi and quite a few South Indian languages such as Tamil and Telugu. Her most famous film song to date has been “Choli Ke Peeche” sung along with Alka Yagnik for the film Khalnayak starring Madhuri Dixit, for which they won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer. Another song which she is famous for is “Ghup Chup” from the film Karan Arjun. She also is well known for her song “Morni Baaga Ma Bole” accompanied with Lata Mangeshkar, in the movie Lamhe, starring Sridevi. She has lent her voice to the Tamil song “Muthu Muthu Mazhai”, for the film Mr. Romeo, composed by A. R. Rahman. Her last noteworthy song was also with Rahman composed for the internationally acclaimed film Slumdog Millionaire, called “Ringa Ringa”.
Singles/Albums
She has produced several successful singles such as “Vote for Ghagra”. She also sang the promotional hit song Halla Bol for the Rajasthan Royals team in the Indian Premier League She hails from Rajasthan and sings Rajasthani songs in her albums and movies.
Acting
Arun was first seen acting in Lifeline (Jeevanrekha) a Hindi TV serial on life of doctors, along with Tanvi Azmi on Doordarshan. She delivered an electrifying performance in the 2008 hit Jodhaa Akbar as Maham Anga, Akbar’s shrewd wet nurse and political advisor. She has also acted in supporting roles in films such as China Gate, Chingari, Well Done Abba, Welcome to Sajjanpur, West is West and Ghatak. In Shaadi Ke Side Effects and Begum Jaan, she played a governess and a brothel member, respectively. In “Raat Akeli Hai”, which is a Netflix movie and released on 31 July 2020, she has played the role of mother of the Hero “Nawazuddin Siddiqui” and correctly delivered the dialogues in local dialect.
Arun has been a part of the early years of Indian television Industry, acting in the 1980s Bharat Ek Khoj and Yatra. She also took on the role of Hansa Mehta, an independence activist who was part of the advisory committee of the constituent assembly, in Samvidhaan which is a TV mini-series based on the making of the Constitution of India.
Discography
| Album(s) | Notes |
|---|---|
| Vote for Ghagra | |
| Nigodi Kaisi Jawani Hai | |
| Main Ho Gayi Sawa Lakh Ki | |
| Banjaran | |
| Bombay Girl | |
| The Very Best of Ila | Compilation |
| Khichdi | |
| Haule Haule | |
| Mela | |
| Ila Arun Pop Hits | Compilation |
| Chhappan Chhuri | |
| Mare Hiwda Ma | |
| Nimri Nimoli | MTV Coke Studio (single) |
Filmography
As Actress
| Year | Film | Role | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Ardh Satya | Sneha Bajpai | Govind Nihalani | |
| Mandi | Kamli | Shyam Benegal | ||
| 1985 | Trikal | Cook | Shyam Benegal | |
| 1986 | Jaal | Tara | Umesh Mehra | |
| 1990 | Police Public | Laxmi | Esmayeel Shroff | |
| 1991 | Lamhe | Folk dancer in the song “Chudiyan Khanak Gayee” | Yash Chopra | Also singer |
| 1992 | Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda | Lily’s mother | Shyam Benegal | |
| 1994 | Droh Kaal | Zeenat | Govind Nihalani | |
| 1996 | Ghatak | Mrs. Malti Sachdev | Rajkumar Santoshi | |
| 1997 | Auzaar | Herself | Sohail Khan | In the song “Apni To Ek Hi Life” |
| 1998 | China Gate | Mrs. Gopinath | Rajkumar Santoshi | |
| 2005 | Bose – The Forgotten Hero | Ranu | Shyam Benegal | |
| 2006 | Chingaari | Padmavati | Kalpana Lajmi | |
| 2008 | Jodhaa Akbar | Maham Anga | Ashutosh Gowariker | Nominated—IIFA Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated—Screen Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role |
| Welcome to Sajjanpur | Ramsakhi Pannawali | Shyam Benegal | Nominated—Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated—Producers Guild Film Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role |
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| 2010 | West Is West | Basheera Khan | Andy DeEmmony | British film |
| Well Done Abba | Salma Ali | Shyam Benegal | ||
| Mirch | Kesar bai | Vinay Shukla | ||
| 2011 | Aagaah: The Warning | Ramsharan’s mother | Karan Razdan | |
| 2012 | Arjun: The Warrior Prince | Kunti (voice role) | Arnab Chaudhuri | Animated film |
| 2014 | Shaadi Ke Side Effects | Aunty | Saket Chaudhary | |
| 2017 | Begum Jaan | Amma | Srijit Mukherji | |
| 2018 | Thugs of Hindostan | Jaitumbi | Vijay Krishna Acharya | |
| Manto | Jaddanbai | Nandita Das | ||
| 2020 | Ghoomketu | Santo Bua | Pushpendra Nath Mishra | ZEE5 film |
| Raat Akeli Hai | Mrs. Yadav | Honey Trehan | Netflix film | |
| Chhalaang | Usha Gehlot | Hansal Mehta | Amazon Prime Video film | |
| 2021 | Sherni[10] | Pawan’s mother | Amit V. Masurkar | Amazon Prime Video film |
| Aafat-E-Ishq | Bahuji | Indrajit Nattoji | ZEE5 Film |
As Singer
| Year | Film | Song(s) | Music Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Aitbaar | “Khali Peeli Pyar Se” | Bappi Lahiri | |
| 1986 | Jaal | “Raina Bawari Bhai Re” | Anu Malik | |
| 1989 | Batwara | “Ye Ishq Dunk Bichhua Ka, Are Isse Raam Bachaye” | Laxmikant-Pyarelal | |
| 1991 | Rukmavati Ki Haveli | Herself | ||
| Lamhe | “Chudiyan Khanak Gayee””Megha Re Megha” | Shiv-Hari | ||
| 1993 | Khalnayak | “Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai (Female)” | Laxmikant-Pyarelal | Won—Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer |
| “Nayak Nahi Khalnayak Hai Tu” | ||||
| Bedardi | “Sun O Bedardi” | Laxmikant-Pyarelal | ||
| Dalaal | “Gutur Gutur” | Bappi Lahiri | ||
| 1994 | Amanaat | “Din Mein Kehti Hai” | Bappi Lahiri | |
| Naaraaz | “Aisa Tadpaya Mujhe Dil Bekarar Ne” | Anu Malik | ||
| 1995 | Diya Aur Toofan | “Kundi Dheere Se Khatkana” | Bappi Lahiri | |
| Zakhmi Sipahi | “O Laila O Laila” | Rais Bhartiya | ||
| 1996 | Aatank | “Main Chhui Mui””Meri Patli Kamar” | Laxmikant–Pyarelal | |
| Smuggler | “Bin Barsaat Ke” | Bappi Lahiri | ||
| Mr. Romeo | “Muthu Muthu Mazhai” (original version)”Paas Aaja Baalam” (Hindi version) | A. R. Rahman | Tamil Film | |
| 1997 | Tarazu | “Chal Ganne Ke Khet Mein” | Rajesh Roshan | |
| Jeevan Yudh | “Kameez Meri Kaali” | Nadeem–Shravan | ||
| Auzaar | “Masti Ka Aalam Aaya Hai” | Anu Malik | ||
| 1998 | Kaadhal Kavithai | “Thathom Thakathimi” | Ilaiyaraaja | Tamil film |
| 1999 | Bhopal Express | “Udan Khatola” | Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy | |
| Jaanam Samjha Karo | “I Was Made For Loving You” | Anu Malik | ||
| 2000 | Snegithiye | “Othayadi Padhayile” | Vidyasagar | Tamil Film |
| 2003 | Boom | “Boom” | Talvin Singh | |
| 2004 | Paisa Vasool | “Maine Saiyan Ki Demand” | Bapi–Tutul | |
| 2010 | Well Done Abba | “Meri bano hoshiyar” | Shantanu Moitra | Also lyricist |
| Mirch | “Mora Saiyyan” | Monty Sharma | ||
| Raavan | “Kata Kata” | A. R. Rahman | ||
| 2012 | Arjun: The Warrior Prince | “Kabhi Na Dekhe Hastinapur Mein” | Vishal–Shekhar | |
| 2013 | Deewana Main Deewana | “Kala Doriya” | Bappi Lahiri |
As Music Director
- 1992 – Mujhse Dosti Karoge
- 1991 – Rukmavati Ki Haveli
- 1985 – Doongar Ro Bhed
Television Appearances
| Year | Show(s) | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Yatra | Drama group member | |
| 1988 | Bharat Ek Khoj | Various characters | |
| 1991 | Lifeline (Jeevanrekha) | Doctor | |
| 2005 | Fame Gurukul | Head Mistress | |
| 2014 | Samvidhaan | Hansha Mehta | |
| 2015 | Coke Studio | Performer |