Seeta Devi (actress)
Seeta Devi | |
|---|---|
Seeta Devi in her debut film Prem Sanyas (1925) | |
| Born | Renee Smith 15 October 1912 |
| Died | 1983 (aged 70–71) |
| Other names | The Brightest Star In The Indian Cinema World Sita Devi Rane Smith Devi. Sita |
| Citizenship | British Indian (1912-1947) Indian (1947-1983) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1922–1957 |
| Relatives | Percy Smith (sister) |
Seeta Devi (born Renee Smith; 1912 – 1983) was an Indian actress and a prominent star of the silent film era. She was one of the early stars of silent films in the Indian film industry. Discovered by filmmaker Himanshu Rai, she became the face of several landmark Indo-European co-productions, including the acclaimed "oriental trilogy" directed by Franz Osten.
Seeta was known as The Brightest Star In The Indian Cinema World. Seeta's films were very popular in Europe and she had a mass followers of fans from England, Germany, Poland and Austria. Along with Ermeline, Ruby Myers, Sabita Devi and Patience Cooper, she is credited as a "leading star" of the 1920s and 1930s who had more mass appeal than their male counterparts.
She is stated to be one of the "prominent" leading ladies of the "pioneering era" of Indian cinema along with Mehtab, Bibbo, Durga Khote, Gohar, Devika Rani, Susan Solomon and Indira Devi.