Career
She starred in six films in the 1950s. She is the wife of Hindi film actor and film maker Late Development Anand. Mona Singha was a beauty queen while studying at Saint Bede"s College, Shimla.
She was introduced to films by Chetan Anand of Navketan Films with the film Baazi in 1951.
She co-starred with Development Anand, whom she worked with in all her subsequent films. Her screen name - Kalpana Kartik - was given to her by Chetan Anand during this period.
Her other films were Aandhiyan (1952), Humsafar (1953), Taxi Driver (1954), House Number. 44 (1954) and Nau Do Gyaraah (1957).
Mona Singha, aka Kalpana Kartik, was born in a Punjabi Christian family.
She was a student of the prestigious Saint Bede"s College, Shimla. He convinced her family to allow her to join his fledgling film company, Navketan Films, as a leading lady. Thus, Mona Singha was re-christened Kalpana Kartik and she moved to Bombay (now known as Mumbai).
Her first film Baazi was a huge success and went on to become a landmark in Indian cinema.
Baazi was a gamble that defined the destinies of many luminaries all of whom got a career boost from the film. Kalpana Kartik, became a part of Navketan when it was beginning to spread its wings.
She was associated with the film company during its most momentous years. She started with Baazi, the debut of Guru Dutt and ended with Nau Do Gyarah, the debut film of Vijay Anand.
Between these two films came Taxi Driver, which was the "coming of age" film of the Navketan banner.
lieutenant was Navketan"s first super-success and also the film on whose sets Development Anand secretly married Kalpana Kartik during a lunch break. Kalpana"s time in Navketan saw four different directors take reign - Guru Dutt, Chetan Anand, Mandi Burman and Vijay Anand. Development Anand played the lead role in these movies.
