Meet Sridevi's rival, only actress who romanced both Dharmendra and Sunny Deol, became top paid superstar, got married to father of two kids, still remained single because..

There are only a handful of actors in the film industry who have found immense success, not only in Bollywood but also by trying their luck by working in films in regional languages ​​as well. One such person is veteran actress Jaya Prada, who started her career at a young age, worked in over 300 films in 8 different languages, was Sridevi's rival, and was one of the highest-paid actresses of her time. One strange record that Jaya Prada holds in her career is romancing a famous father-son duo in two different films. Jaya Prada romanced both Dharmendra and Sunny Deol on screen. Jaya Prada was cast opposite Dharmendra in Farishtay. Sunny Deol and Jaya Prada appeared in a film called Veerta.

Jaya Prada, born Lalitha Rani Rao, is the daughter of a Telugu film financier. Her first film appearance was a three-minute dance role in the Telugu film Bhoomi Kosam (1974) for which she was paid just Rs 10. But this small role went on to change Jaya Prada's destiny, who soon became a top heroine in Telugu films by 1976. 

Jaya Prada then made her Bollywood debut with Sargam (1979), a remake of the Telugu hit Siri Siri Muvva. This blockbuster hit gave Jaya Prada superstar status, and the actress went on to work with legendary superstars like Amitabh Bachchan, Rishi Kapoor, Dharmendra, Jeetendra, and Rakesh Roshan. 

Despite enjoying an exceptionally popular professional life, Jaya Prada's personal life was never easy. In 1985, when Jaya Prada was the highest-paid actress in the industry, the IT department (Income Tax Department) conducted raids. Producer and Jaya Prada's close friend Srikanth Nahata stood by her during this difficult time, leading to the two falling in love. But, Srikanth Nahata was already married and had two children.

Jaya Prada and Srikanth Nahata got married in 1986 despite the controversies. However, Srikanth Nahata did not divorce his wife and had a child with his first wife even after marrying Jaya Prada. The two eventually got separated, and Jaya Prada then remained single for her whole life. 

Following the upheavel in her personal life, Jaya Prada joined the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) at the invitation of its founder N. T. Rama Rao. After a few years, due to differences with Chandrababu Naidu, Jaya Prada resigned from TDP and joined the Samajwadi Party. She won as MP from Rampur in UP in 2004 and 2009. 

She joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in the presence of National General Secretary Bhupender Yadav in March 2019.

Jaya Prada, over the years, has established a name for herself in the political circles, however, she has also distanced herself from the film world. Jaya Prada was last seen in the 2023 Malayalam film Ramachandra Boss & Co and the TV show Drama Juniors 4 Telugu as a judge. 

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