Daisy Irani

Daisy Irani Shukla[2] (born 17 June 1950)[1] is an Indian actress in Hindi and Telugu language films. She was a popular child actor in the 1950s and 1960s. She is most known for films such as Bandish (1955), Ek Hi Raasta (1956), Naya Daur (1957), Hum Panchhi Ek Daal Ke (1957), Jailor (1958), Qaidi No 911 (1959) and Do Ustad (1959). As a supporting actress, she acted in Kati Patang in 1971. She also worked in a popular TV show Shararat.

Irani was born into a Zoroastrian family and her mother-tongue is Gujarati. She is the eldest of three sisters, the other two being Honey Irani and Menaka Irani. Her younger sister Honey, who was also a child-star, went on to marry script-writer Javed Akhtar and is the mother of Farhan Akhtar and Zoya Akhtar. Irani’s other sister, Menaka, is married to the stunt film-maker Kamran Khan[3] and is the mother of film-makers Sajid Khan and Farah Khan.

Daisy married screenwriter K. K. Shukla (a Hindu Brahmin) on 21 January 1971 at age 21. Her career as a child-star being at an end, she made no effort to pursue a career in films as an adult, but devoted herself to her husband and family. She has three children, a son named Kabir and two daughters, Varsha and Ritu. None of her children are involved with the entertainment industry in any capacity.

Although born a Zoroastrian and married to a Hindu, Daisy grew interested in Christianity later in life. In 1975, she became a member of New Life Fellowship in Mumbai.[2]

In 2018, Daisy revealed that she had been raped at the age of 6 by her “guardian” during the making of Hum Panchhi Ek Daal Ke (1957)