Reena Roy, the actress who ruled Bollywood for many years, was born on January 7, 1957. Reena Roy is a Bollywood actress who has played every character on the big screen, from the lead to the mother. Her name has also appeared on the list of the highest-paid actresses of her era.
It has been 20 years since Reena Roy left films. She was last seen in the film Refugee as Abhishek Bachchan’s mother.
Reena Roy, who played the highest number of roles opposite Jitendra in Bollywood films, is from a Muslim family. Her birth name was Saira Ali. Sadiq Ali, his father, was a junior actor, and Sarada H Rai, her mother, was an actress and production manager.
Reena Roy has two elder sisters and one younger brother, so she has four siblings. Her parents were divorced, after which her mother changed the names of her four children from Muslim to Hindu.
Reena’s name was changed from Saira Ali to Roopa Rai, and her sisters were named Barkha and Anju. At the same time, his brother, Raja, who was the youngest of four siblings, was named Raja.
Reena Roy Career
She entered Bollywood in 1972 with the film Zaroorat. As soon as she entered Bollywood, Roopa Rai changed her name to Reena Roy.
She was paired with a newcomer from FTI, Danny Denzongpa. Many established actresses rejected the movie because of its steamy scenes.
The film was released and failed miserably at the box office, but Reena Rai caught everyone’s attention.
For the next 3 years, Reena was given the role of either the second lead or a B-grade film. But at that time, Reena had to prove herself, so she used to accept whatever film offers.
Reena Rai achieved real success in 1976 when two of her films became box office superstars. The movies were Naagin and Kalicharan.
In the movie Naagin, Reena plays the role of a wishful serpent whose partner is killed by six friends, and the serpent then takes revenge on them. When this film was released, many people did not expect much from it, but proving everyone’s expectations wrong, it became the highest-grossing film of 1976.
People also did not expect much from Reena’s second film, Kalicharan. Subhash Ghai, who had been a flop actor until then, directed it. He started acting with Rajesh Khanna in Aradhana but never became successful.
The same Shatrughan Sinha used to play primarily negative roles till then, and through this film, for the first time, appeared as the solo lead actor. Reena Roy, till then, was mostly seen as a B-grade film or second lead actress. But by shocking everyone, this film proved to be a superhit film of 1976, and after that, Reena Roy’s career shone.
After 1976, Reena Roy became involved in many superhit films. She has done the maximum number of films with Jitendra, which is 22. Shatrughan Sinha is number two, with whom she has done 17 films.
By the beginning of the 1980s, Reena Roy was considered one of the industry’s top heroines. She was compared to heroines like Rekha, Hema Malini, and Zeenat Aman, and she was one of the highest-paid actresses of that era.
The pairing of Shatrughan Sinha and Reena Roy in Kalicharan was well received by the audience, so the producer repeated the pairing in other movies as well.
Along with the good onscreen chemistry between the two, their friendship gradually deepened, and this friendship turned into love. Then, there used to be a lot of news about these two in the media, and there were even reports that both of them were going to marry each other.
During this time, Shatrughan Sinha surprised everyone and married Poonam Sinha, whom he had met on a flight.
It is said that this significantly hurt Reena, but Shatrughan continued his affair with Reena even after marriage. Shatrughan’s wife, Poonam, was also aware of this. Poonam taunted Reena Rai indirectly in the media many times.
Reena Roy marriage
The Whirlwind Romance: How It All Began
Reena’s heart had already weathered a storm before Mohsin entered the picture. Her seven-year romance with Shatrughan Sinha—her Kalicharan co-star—had ended in 1980 when he married Poonam Sinha. That betrayal stung deep; Reena had been the “other woman” in a saga that gripped Bollywood gossip columns. By 1983, she was ready to move on, and Mohsin Khan—dashing, successful, and a star in his own right—swept her off her feet.
Mohsin wasn’t just any cricketer. A stylish batsman for Pakistan, he’d made waves in Test matches and county cricket in England. Their love story bloomed fast—think candlelit dinners and transcontinental charm. In 1983, they tied the knot in Karachi, Pakistan, a grand affair that blended two worlds. Reena, then 26, quit acting to embrace this new life, moving to Pakistan with dreams of domestic bliss. I can’t help but imagine her—Bollywood’s reigning queen—swapping scripts for a new script entirely, one she hoped would last forever.
Early Days: A Daughter and a New Dawn
For a while, it seemed to work. Reena and Mohsin welcomed a daughter, Jannat, in the mid-1980s (exact date private, but speculated around 1984-85). Reena stepped back from the industry she’d dominated, choosing motherhood over movie sets. Mohsin, meanwhile, dabbled in Bollywood himself, starring in films like Saathi (1991)—a perk of marrying a cinema icon. They split time between Pakistan and London, where Mohsin owned a plush manor. “It was a good phase,” Reena hinted in a rare Times of India chat years later. I picture her cradling Jannat, maybe humming a lullaby from Aasha, thinking she’d found her happily-ever-after.
But beneath the surface, cracks were forming. Love, it turns out, couldn’t bridge every gap—not cultural divides, clashing dreams, or the weight of two larger-than-life personas.
Why It Fell Apart: The Unraveling of a Dream
Reena and Mohsin’s marriage hit rocky terrain by the late 1980s, crumbling fully in the early 1990s. Their divorce—finalized around 1990-1992—marked the end of a union that couldn’t weather its storms. So, what drove them apart? Here’s the heart of it, pieced together from interviews, reports, and a dash of human insight.
1. Lifestyle Clash: Two Worlds Too Far Apart
Reena was a Bombay girl at heart, rooted in India’s chaotic, colorful film industry. Mohsin, a cricketer with a global flair, thrived in a different orbit. He loved the high life—London’s elite circles, Pakistan’s cricket glory. In a 2023 G Sports interview, Mohsin said, “I wanted to stay in Pakistan. Pakistan is our identity.” But Reena? She struggled to adapt. She later told The Times of India, “I couldn’t adjust to his lifestyle.” His push for British citizenship and a permanent London base clashed with her longing for familiarity. I feel for her—imagine leaving your world behind, only to feel like a stranger in your new one.
2. Loneliness and Distance
Mohsin’s career kept him on the move—matches in England, tours worldwide. Along with Jannat in Pakistan or London, Reena felt the sting of isolation. In a Bollywood Shaadis piece, she recalled phoning her mom from London, asking, “What is the meaning of marriage?” Her mother’s reply—“Nibha le” (endure it)—echoes a generation’s stoicism, but Reena’s spirit wasn’t built for silent suffering. “I tried to bridge the gap,” she said, but the physical and emotional distance grew too wide. I’ve seen friends drift apart over less; for Reena, it must’ve been a quiet ache that built up.
3. Cultural and Personal Misalignment
Cross-border marriages carry their weight—different faiths, traditions, and expectations. Reena, born Saira Ali to a Muslim father and Hindu mother, was no stranger to blended identities. Mohsin, a proud Pakistani, had his roots. While love initially glossed over these divides, daily life exposed them. Reports hint at Mohsin’s “flamboyant lifestyle” (per TheBridalBox)—parties, prestige, and grating against Reena’s more straightforward sensibilities. She wasn’t dazzled by his world; Mohsin, per his own words, “was never impressed by beauty” alone but sought a “good human being.” Maybe they misread each other’s cores—I wonder if they ever saw the same future.
4. The Custody Tug-of-War
The divorce wasn’t just an end—it was a battle. Mohsin initially won custody of Jannat, taking her to Karachi. Reena, devastated, fought back. “I did everything to get her,” she told The Times of India in 2023, even turning to saints and sadhus for strength. She claimed Mohsin used Jannat as leverage, hoping Reena would relent and join him in London. “He thought I’d be desperate,” she said. It’s gut-wrenching—losing a child to an ex, continents apart. When Mohsin remarried (date unclear, post-1990s), custody shifted back to Reena. She renamed Jannat “Sanam”—a reclaiming of her heart. That fight? It’s a mother’s love laid bare.
5. No Room for Compromise
In his 2023 Hindustan Times interview, Mohsin said, “I have no regrets.” He’d married “a human being,” not a star, and stuck to his Pakistan-centric vision. Reena, though, couldn’t bend that far. Her return to India in 1992—sans Mohsin, with Sanam later—screams of a woman choosing herself over a crumbling compromise. “I’d have come back earlier,” she told BollywoodShaadis, if not for her mom’s advice to endure. Their stubborn dreams—his in Pakistan, hers in India—left no middle ground. I respect that fire; sometimes, love isn’t enough if paths don’t align.
Aftermath: Picking Up the Pieces
By 1992, Reena was back in India, a single mom at 35, her Bollywood crown tarnished. Her comeback—Aadmi Khilona Hai (1993), Refugee (2000)—flickered but didn’t reignite her old magic. Mohsin settled in Karachi, remarried, and stayed connected to Sanam. “He’s in touch with her,” Reena said graciously in 2023, praying for his happiness. She never remarried, pouring herself into Sanam and an acting school in Mumbai. I see her strength—rebuilding after a love that promised the stars but delivered dust.
Why It Matters: A Tale Beyond the Tabloids
Reena Roy’s marriage to Mohsin Khan wasn’t just a celebrity split—it’s a human story. It’s about chasing love across borders, only to find it can’t always hold. It’s about a woman who gambled big—career, heart, home—and lost, then fought to reclaim what mattered most. I think of her in Nagin, fierce and unyielding; that spirit carried her through this too. The rumors—her resemblance to Sonakshi Sinha, Shatrughan’s shadow—still swirl, but this chapter? It’s hers alone, a testament to resilience over regret.
Reena Roy and Sonakshi Sinha
Many gossip channels spread the rumor that Sonakshi Sinha is the love child of Reena Roy and Shatrughan Sinha.
It is very upsetting to live with this. In an interview, she said that such a rumor is not new in this industry. Earlier, People called Dimple Kapadia the love child of Nargis and Raj Kapoor.
He further said that Sonakshi Sinha’s face is very similar to her mother Poonam’s. In her early films, Sonakshi was probably given some Reena-like makeup to give her an Indian look, so there is a slight resemblance in the face.
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