Actor & Singer ‘Sulakshana Pandit’ Passes Away at 68

Veteran singer and actress Sulakshana Pandit passed away at the age of 71 in Mumbai after a long illness. A member of a talented musical family that includes Jatin-Lalit and Pandit Jasraj, she left behind a legacy of beautiful songs and memorable performances.

Born in 1954, Sulakshana started singing at the age of nine and made her playback debut in 1967.

Sulakshana Pandit’s career as a heroine flourished through the 1970s and early 1980s. She starred opposite top actors of her time, including Jeetendra, Sanjeev Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna, Vinod Khanna, Rishi Kapoor, Raj Babbar, and Rakesh Roshan. Her acting journey began with the 1975 suspense thriller Uljhan opposite Sanjeev Kumar.

In Anil Ganguly’s Sankoch (1976), based on the classic novel Parineeta, she beautifully portrayed the role of Lolita. Some of her popular and hit films include Uljhan, Hera Pheri, Apnapan, Sankoch, Khandaan, Raaz, Thief of Baghdad, Chehre Pe Chehra, Dharam Kanta, and Waqt Ki Deewar. She also acted in a Bengali film Bondie, opposite the legendary Uttam Kumar.

Alongside her acting career, Sulakshana had an impressive singing journey. She began as a child singer with the popular song “Saat Samundar Paar Se” alongside Lata Mangeshkar in the 1967 film Taqdeer. She went on to record with greats like Hemant Kumar and Kishore Kumar, singing in Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Oriya, and Gujarati. In 1980, she released a ghazal album titled Jazbaat (HMV).

Sulakshana sang duets with legends like Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Shailender Singh, Yesudas, Mahendra Kapoor, and Udit Narayan, under renowned music directors such as Shankar–Jaikishan, Laxmikant–Pyarelal, Kalyanji–Anandji, Bappi Lahiri, Rajesh Roshan, Khayyam, and Usha Khanna. Her soulful voice and elegant screen presence made her one of the most graceful talents of her time.

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