Barely two hours after Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh filed his nomination papers with almost no rival in sight, Poonam Sinha, wife of actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha, arrived Lucknow on Tuesday to take him on as a Samajwadi Party candidate.
Before you call it a sudden decision by the Samajwadi Party to field Sinha against Singh, understand the caste dynamics of Lucknow: There are four lakh Kayastha voters and 1.3 lakh Sindhi voters in Lucknow, apart from 3.5 lakh Muslims. Poonam Sinha is a Sindhi while her husband Shatrughan Sinha is a Kayastha.
So, it might turn out to be a well thought-out decision on the result day.
Poonam Sinha, 69, started acting at the age of 19. Her first film in 1968 was titled Jigri Dost. Poonam, who was born in Hyderabad in a Sindhi family, worked as Komal in her initial films. She was simultaneously working as a fashion model. She got a chance to work with Jeetendra and Mumtaz in Jigri Dost after winning the Miss Young India title.
She was seen in Dharmendra, Saira Banu-starrer Aadmi Aur Insaan (1969) in the very next year. In 1970, she got a substantial role opposite Joy Mukherjee in Aag Aur Daag, which was directed by A Salaam. This was her first big break. But her acting career didn’t take off.
Meanwhile, she reportedly met Shatrughan Sinha, who was already a prominent Bollywood star, on a train. The two dated each other for quite some time.
In fact, they did a film together titled Sabak in 1973. However, it didn’t meet with a good fate at the box office. Shaitan and Dil Diwana released in 1974 but her acting talent wasn’t noticed much. Shaitan again had Shatrughan Sinha in the lead. Poonam Sinha also played a cameo in Hema Malini’s Dream Girl (1977).
Poonam and Shatrughan tied the knot in 1980. Though the two faced stiff opposition in the beginning from Poonam’s family but eventually it all ended well.
She took a break from films to raise her children—Luv, Kush and Sonakshi—and returned to acting in 2002 with Mitr, My Friend. However, her most memorable role till date came in the form of Hamida Begum in Ashutosh Gowariker’s epic Jodhaa Akbar (2008).
Now, with election campaign on, she might be looking at a new career.
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