‘Sulakshana didi was by no means the identical after Sanjeev Kumar turned her down.’

IMAGE: Sulakshana Pandit. {Photograph}: Type courtesy Movie Historical past Pics/X

Sulakshana Pandit liked just one man: Sanjeev Kumar.

She waited patiently for him to reciprocate her love, befriending his mom, getting ready his favorite dishes… however he liked one other.

“Sulakshana didi was by no means the identical after Sanjeev Kumar turned her down,” Sulakshana’s sister Vijeta Pandit tells Subhash Ok Jha.

“She quickly misplaced contact with actuality. It got here to some extent the place she could not keep on her personal. In 2006, my husband (the late composer Aadesh Shrivastava) introduced her to our residence. She did not meet anybody, rarely stepped out of her room, except it was to often go to our farm home in Lonavala which she liked.”

Satirically, Sulakshana died on the identical day as Sanjeev Kumar, 40 years later.

 

IMAGE: Sulakshana Pandit made her debut in 1975’s Uljhan, reverse Sanjeev Kumar. {Photograph}: Type courtesy Movie Historical past Pics/X

Sulakshana was the one singing actress since Suraiya.

Within the Seventies and Eighties, she acted in profitable movies like Uljhan, Sankoch, Hera Pheri and Khandaan with Sanjeev Kumar, Jeetendra and Rajesh Khanna and sang her method into the charts with melodies like Beqarar Dil Tu Gayeja (Door Ka Rahi), Mana Teri Nazar Mein Tera Pyaar Hum Nahin (Khandaan), Bandhi Re Kahe Preet (Sankoch), Somwar Ko Hum Miley Manglwaar Ko Nain (Apnaaapan) and Ghadi Milan Ki Aayee (Ek Baap Chhe Bete).

For years, nobody had seen this stunning actress with a beautiful voice.

“How might anybody see her? She did not meet anybody,” Vijeta says.

“Not even our brothers and sisters, besides Sandhya. We saved Sandhya didi‘s disappearance (in 2014, she died underneath mysterious circumstances) away from Sulakshana didi. It wasn’t that troublesome since she refused to satisfy any company, even shut kin and was confined to her room. She liked my two sons and mentioned my youthful son was truly her beta.”

Years in the past, Sulakshana fell within the lavatory and shattered her hip bone.

“She needed to endure 4 surgical procedures. After that, she could not stroll correctly. She remained in her room listening to the radio. She hardly watched tv both. We offered her earlier property and acquired her a flat in Lokhandwala (northwest Mumbai) however she by no means moved into it. She could not keep on her personal. There was a time when Sulakshana didi taken care of me. Then it was my flip to take care of her.”

Images curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff