Do you know, Reema Lagoo was in Bollywood's first 100 crore film?

The motherly aura that she had about her was evident in the characters she lived on the silver screen. With her demise, Bollywood lost an actress who "radiated talent, beauty and such warmth," as Madhurii Dixit Nene remembers her. Reema Lagoo is no more and the Indian film industry is poorer for it.

But few realise that the Reema was part of the very first Bollywood movie that made it first to the Rs 100 crore club. Hum Aapke Hain Koun...!, where she played Mrs Chaudhary, was the first Bollywood film to get to the magical number of Rs 100 crores.

The film grossed more than Rs 127 crores worldwide and made Rs 116 crores in Indian markets, according to boxofficeindia.com .

Directed by Sooraj Barjatya and produced by Rajshri Productions in 1994, the romantic-comedy was described as the biggest blockbuster of modern India. Reema Lagoo played the role of mother to female protagonists of the film, Nisha Chaudhary (Madhuri Dixit Nene) and Pooja Choudhary (Renuka Shahane), doing justice to the motherly character she was known for portraying so well.

Beginning her acting career with Marathi theatre, Reema soon became popular in Hindi and Marathi film industry, working alongside some of the well-known names of the country. She was regarded by film critics as the new-age mother of Hindi cinema, considering her roles in cult classics like Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!, Hum Saath-Saath Hain, Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, Rangeela, Vaastav and many more.

She took on the mantle of motherly character, vacated by the likes of Nirupa Roy. Her role in Vaastav, where she played Shanta, mother of protagonist Raghu (Sanjay Dutt), is still remembered for the strong portrayal of a mother to a wayward son.

The characters she played on the small screen have also been etched on the minds of the Indian viewers. She went on to win the Indian Telly Award for Best Actress in a Comic Role for her character Devki Verma in Hindi comedy serial Tu Tu Main Main.

In the wee hours of Thursday, Reema was admitted to Kokilaben Hospital in Mumbai after she complained of chest pain. She breathed her last at 3:15 am after a cardiac arrest. She is survived by her daughter Mrunmayee, who herself is a theatre artist, film actress and director.

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