Unsung and forgotten, actor and singer Sulakshana Pandit, known for films such as Uljhan (1975) and Sankoch (1976), was given a final adieu on Friday, a day after she died of a cardiac arrest. She was 71.
Sulakshana, among the few Bollywood personalities who made an equally successful career as a singer, passed away late Thursday at her sister Vijayata Pandit’s home where she had been living since 2006.
Her last rites were performed at Pawan Hans crematorium in suburban Juhu in the afternoon. Among those in attendance were actors Shabana Azmi and Poonam Dhillon as well as family member Vijayata.
Sulakshana Pandit. Pics/mid-day archives, Instagram
Sulakshana, who has to her credit songs like Tu Hi Sagar Tu Hi Kinara (Sankalp, 1975) and Bandi Re Kaahe Preet (Sankoch), was born into a musical family that included her uncle, the legendary vocalist Pandit Jasraj. She was born in 1954 in Raigarh. The musical family originally hails from Hissar, Haryana. Sulakshana had to step into the limelight at an early age after the death of her father and guru Pratap Narain Pandit.
She recorded her career’s first duet Saat Samandar Par with Lata Mangeshakar for Taqdeer (1967). Eight years later, she made her acting debut with Uljhan opposite Sanjeev Kumar. She fell in love with him, but it wasn’t reciprocated and Sulakshana, heartbroken after his untimely death in 1985, never got married.
Her showbiz career soared. She worked with all the top stars and singers of her era, including Rajesh Khanna, Shashi Kapoor, Jeetendra, and Vinod Khanna. But singing remained her first love and she continued it parallel to her acting career. Her hit songs are Pardesiya Tere Desh Mein and Bekrar Dil Tut Gaya (Garam Khoon, 1980), and Somvaar Ko Hum Mile (Apnapan, 1977).
Vijayata said in a recent interview that her sister had long been unwell. “She has been staying with us for a long time now. She was in a bad state, was retired, and had no money to maintain the house. So, I brought her to my house and got her property sold off. From the money, I got her a flat in Lokhandwala… She also got my sister Sandhya and Maya a house,” Vijayata, told Lehren Retro last year.
Singer and cousin Durga Jasraj said Sulakshana was the “the first star” and the strongest pillar in the family. “Sulakshana jiji dedicated her entire life towards bringing the family to the forefront with her limitless talent… She sang, acted, performed, and explored every aspect of her personality and became the first star in our Pandit family.”
Sulakshana’s niece Shweta Pandit wrote on Instagram, “My guru, my guide, my lifeline, she was the prettiest angel I got to spend some of my most beautiful musical memories with.”
Her notable films
1975 ‘Uljhan`
1975 ‘Sankalp’
1975 ‘Salaakhen’
1976 ‘Sankoch
1976 ‘Hera Pheri’
1979 ‘Khandaan’
1980 ‘Garam Khoon’
1985 ‘Kala Suraj’
1988 ‘Do Waqt Ki Roti’
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