The curly-haired adorable little ‘boy’ who charmed audiences across the country carried a horrifying secret… More than 60 years after the incident, erstwhile child star Daisy Irani, who invariably played a boy in her films, reveals that she had been raped and abused at the age of 6.

India’s best-known child star of the 1950s, Irani hopes that her story serves as a warning to parents, guardians and mentors of children working in films, TV and talent show, to protect them at all times.

“The man who did this was supposed to be my guardian. He accompanied me to a film shoot (Hum Panchhi Ek Dal Ke) in Madras. One night in the hotel room he violated me, hit me with a belt and warned me that he would kill me if I ever told anyone about what had happened.”

The traumatized little girl never spoke a word. Nazar, the man responsible for this heinous crime, was related to the famous singer Zohra Ambalewaali and had contacts in the industry. For years she didn’t dare to tell her mother about what he had done. She simply showed up at work and pretended like nothing was wrong.

Daisy had been propelled into films at the tender age of four by her ambitious mother. She worked multiple shifts and starred in over 50 films including Naya Daur, Jagte Raho, Boot Polish and Dhool Ka Phool. At that time, roles were specially written for her and her footage was often increased. Featuring in films with all the top stars of her time, including Ashok Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Vyjayanthimala, she shared the closest bond with Meena Kumari, who she believed was her real mother.

When Daisy’s siblings Honey (Farhan and Zoya Akhtar’s mother) and Meneka (Farah and Sajid Khan’s mother) also entered films, Daisy was extra protective about them. She shares, “Thanks to our mother, Perin, our lives, when we were kids, resembled a never-ending black comedy.”

Today she has found solace in Christianity, as a member of the New Life Fellowship Association, adding that she has always been drawn to the iconography of angels protecting children.

“Child actors have it tough,” she emphasizes. “In a majority of cases, they have been taken advantage of. Maybe a few have had it easy, but most don’t, really.”

To the brave woman who opens up to raise awareness about child sexual exploitation, our deepest respect.