Both parents were from Rajput families; her father was a Christian missionary and a doctor at hospitals in Agra and Amritsar.
[1] While in medical school, Kanwal won a national beauty contest in 1953, and followed an acting career instead.
She appeared in several films between 1953 and 1991, including Dil-E-Nadaan (1953),[2][3] Barati (1954), Kismet (1956),[4] Barsaat Ki Raat (1960), Aarti (1962), Aasmaan (1982), and Woh Subah Kabhi to Aayegi (1991).
[5][6] Kanwal is a painter and has exhibited her art internationally, including a 1974 solo show in New York City.
[7] She is active on behalf of the War Widows Organization, Friends of Children, and Lioness Club.