Jaya Prada's Biography

Jaya Prada is a renowned Indian film actress and politician who has made her mark in the Indian film industry with her brilliant performances. She has acted in several Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Bengali, and Malayalam films and has won several awards for her outstanding acting skills.

Early Life and Education :

Jaya Prada was born on April 3, 1962, in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh, India. Her father, Krishna Rao, was a Telugu film financier and her mother, Neelaveni, was a home-maker. She has two sisters, Padmavathi and Nirmala, and a brother, Rajendra.

Jaya Prada attended the Sacred Heart Convent School in Rajahmundry and completed her intermediate education from the Sri Gowthami College in West Godavari. She later moved to Chennai to pursue her acting career.

Career :

Jaya Prada began her acting career in 1975 at the age of 14, with the Telugu film "Bhoomi Kosam". She then appeared in several Telugu films, including "Adavi Ramudu", "Nyayam Kavali", "Devatha", "Muddula Mavayya", and "Simhasanam".

In 1979, Jaya Prada made her debut in the Hindi film industry with the film "Sargam", directed by K. Vishwanath. The film was a huge success and Jaya Prada's performance was highly appreciated. She then went on to star in several Hindi films, including "Sanjog", "Nagina", "Tohfa", "Aulad", "Maqsad", "Swarg", and "Sharaabi".

Jaya Prada also acted in several Tamil films, including "Kannan Oru Kai Kuzhandhai", "Pudhu Manithan", "Kavikkuyil", "Manidharil Ithanai Nirangala", and "Athisaya Piravigal". She also appeared in several Kannada, Bengali, and Malayalam films.

Jaya Prada has won several awards for her performances, including the Filmfare Award for Best Actress - Telugu for "Devatha" and "Sagara Sangamam", the Filmfare Award for Best Actress - Hindi for "Sanjog" and "Kamla", the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actress for "Ninaithale Inikkum" and "Uyirullavarai Usha", and the Nandi Award for Best Actress for "Siri Siri Muvva" and "Sagara Sangamam".

Personal Life:

Jaya Prada was married to producer Srikanth Nahata in 1986. The couple has two children, a son named Siddhu and a daughter named Nisha.

Controversies :

Jaya Prada has been involved in several controversies throughout her career. In 1986, she was embroiled in a controversy when she appeared in a bikini in the film "Sharaabi". This caused a lot of outrage among conservative groups and the film was banned in several states.

In 2009, Jaya Prada was expelled from the Samajwadi Party, a political party in India, along with fellow party member Amar Singh. The party alleged that Jaya Prada and Amar Singh were involved in anti-party activities and had engaged in activities that were detrimental to the party's image.

Later in 2019, she had a major fallout with the Samajwadi Party leader and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, who called her a 'BJP agent' and banned her from party activities.

Political Career :

Jaya Prada began her political career in 1994 when she joined the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and was nominated to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament. She served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1996 to 1998 and again from 1998 to 2004.

In 2004, Jaya Prada joined the Samajwadi Party (SP) and was elected as an MP from Rampur, Uttar Pradesh in the 2004 and 2009 general elections. She was also appointed as a member of the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh in 2010.

Jaya Prada's political career was marked by controversies and she was often embroiled in intra-party conflicts. In 2010, she was expelled from the SP along with fellow MP Amar Singh, who was her close friend and political mentor. She then joined the Rashtriya Lok Manch, a political party founded by Amar Singh, and contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from the Bijnor constituency in Uttar Pradesh. However, she lost the election.

In 2016, Jaya Prada joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and was appointed as the party's vice-president in Uttar Pradesh. She actively campaigned for the party in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections and the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. In the 2019 elections, she contested from the Rampur constituency but lost to the SP candidate, Azam Khan.

Social Work :

Apart from her acting and political career, Jaya Prada is also actively involved in social work. She is the founder of the Jaya Prada Foundation, which works towards the empowerment of women and children in rural areas. The foundation provides vocational training to women and education and healthcare facilities to children.

Jaya Prada is also associated with several other charitable organizations, including the Lions Club, Rotary Club, and the Children's Film Society. She has been actively involved in raising awareness about HIV/AIDS and has been associated with the United Nations AIDS program.

Conclusion :

Jaya Prada is a versatile actress who has made a mark in the Indian film industry with her brilliant performances. She has also had a tumultuous political career, marked by controversies and intra-party conflicts. Despite the ups and downs in her career, Jaya Prada has remained committed to her social work and has worked towards the empowerment of women and children.