Who Was Sulakshana Pandit? Actress and Singer Who Died At The Age of 71 Due To Cardiac Arrest

Veteran actress and singer Sulakshana Pandit passed away on Thursday, November 6, at the age of 71. Known for her melodious voice and magnetic screen presence, Sulakshana died after suffering from a serious illness. She was being taken to Mumbai's Nanavati Hospital at the time of her demise.

Her brother, music composer Lalit Pandit, confirmed the news that she died due to cardiac arrest. In a statement, Lalit told PTI that she passed away due to cardiac arrest around 7 pm.

"She had complained of breathlessness and seemed a bit unwell. We were taking her to Nanavati hospital but she died before we could reach the hospital," he said.

The veteran actress's funeral will take place on Friday, November 7, at 12 noon.

Sulakshana Pandit's Background

Sulakshana Pandit was an Indian playback singer and film actress who worked in Bollywood during the 1970s and 1980s. Born on July 12, 1954, she came from a musical family that originated in Pilimandori Village in Hisar, Haryana. The family had deep musical roots; the famous classical vocalist Pandit Jasraj was her uncle, and her father, Pratap Narain Pandit, was also an accomplished classical vocalist. She had three brothers, Mandeer, Jatin, and Lalit Pandit, and three sisters, Maya Anderson, Sandhya Singh, and Vijayta Pandit.

Sulakshana Pandit's Acting Career

Sulakshana's career as an actress spanned the 1970s and early 1980s. As a protagonist, she worked with many top male leads of the time, such as Jeetendra, Sanjeev Kumar, Rajesh Khanna, Vinod Khanna, Shashi Kapoor, and Shatrughan Sinha. Her debut film was the suspense thriller Uljhan in 1975, where she starred opposite Sanjeev Kumar. She also notably portrayed Lolita in Anil Ganguly's Sankoch (1976), which was based on the novel Parineeta.

Her other successful movies include Hera Pheri, Apnapan, Khandaan, Chehre Pe Chehra, Dharam Kanta, and Waqt Ki Deewar. Additionally, she acted in the Bengali film Bandie in 1978, where she co-starred with Uttam Kumar.

Sulakshana Pandit's Musical Journey

Sulakshana began her singing career as a child at the tender age of nine. Her first song was the 1967 duet, Saat Samundar Paar Se with Lata Mangeshkar in the film Taqdeer. Following this debut, she recorded songs with legendary musicians such as Kishore Kumar and Hemant Kumar, demonstrating her versatility by singing in Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Oriya, and Gujarati. She also released an album titled Jazbaat, which was based on ghazals.

A highlight of her career was in 1986, when she performed at The Royal Albert Hall in London to celebrate the 'Festival of Indian Music' concert, alongside acclaimed music directors and other singers. Her last song was 'Saagar Kinare Bhi Do Dil' from the movie Khamoshi: The Musical in 1996, which was composed by her brothers Jatin and Lalit.

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Personal Life and Later Years

Sulakshana never married, as actor Sanjeev Kumar rejected her marriage proposal. His sudden demise in 1985 left her deeply heartbroken. Soon after his death, her mother also passed away. She faced hardships when she stopped getting work.

Later, she also broke her hip bone after a fall in the bathroom. Following four surgeries that left her impaired, she made rare public appearances.

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Image courtesy: Instagram

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