Veteran Bollywood actor Tabassum passes away at 78

Veteran actor Tabassum, known for her work as a child artiste and also as host of popular Doordarshan talk show "Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan", has died after suffering a cardiac arrest, her son Hoshang Govil said on Saturday. She was 78 years old.

"Few days ago, she was admitted to a hospital. She had gastro problem and we went there for check-up. She suffered two cardiac attacks at 8.40 pm and 8.42 pm. She passed away peacefully on Friday night,” Hoshang told PTI.

Tabassum started her career as a child star. Among the many popular shows she hosted was 'Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan', in which she would interview celebrities on TV, according to a news report.

Tabassum was born as Kiran Bala Sachdev in Bombay in 1944. She made her debut as Baby Tabassum in 1947 and was married to Vijay Govil, brother of popular TV star Arun Govil.

Her debut as a child star started with 'Nargis' in 1947, followed by 'Mera Suhaag' (1947), 'Manjhdhar' (1947) and 'Bari Behen' (1949).

According to reports, a prayer meeting will be held on November 21, at Arya Samaj in Mumbai.