Sulakshana Pandit
Sulakshana Pandit, front-ranking actress and playback singer of 1970s Bollywood, passes away at 71
Sulakshana Pandit, one of the front-ranking actresses and playback singers of 1970s Bollywood known for her graceful screen presence and soulful voice, passed away in Mumbai on Wednesday night after a prolonged illness. She was 71.
Family sources said Pandit breathed her last at Nanavati Hospital, where she had been undergoing treatment for some time.
Her funeral will be held in Mumbai, with members of her illustrious musical family — including composer brothers Jatin–Lalit — expected to attend.
Belonging to a lineage of great musicians — she was the niece of Pandit Jasraj — Sulakshana Pandit straddled both acting and singing with rare distinction.
In an era dominated by glamour and melody, she carved out a niche as a leading lady of emotional depth and a singer of classical refinement.
As an actress, she starred opposite some of the biggest names of the decade — Sanjeev Kumar, Jeetendra, and Shashi Kapoor — in memorable films like Uljhan (1975), Sankoch (1976), and Khandaan (1979).
Her voice gave Hindi cinema several gems, including “Tu Hi Sagar Hai, Tu Hi Kinara” from Sankalp (1975), for which she won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer.
She collaborated with maestros such as R.D. Burman, Kalyanji-Anandji, and Laxmikant-Pyarelal, leaving behind a treasury of romantic and devotional melodies.
Despite a bright start, Sulakshana gradually withdrew from the spotlight in the late 1980s, facing years of ill health and personal hardship. She remained unmarried and was long associated with her unfulfilled affection for actor Sanjeev Kumar, a story that became part of Bollywood lore.
Tributes from across the film and music fraternity have poured in, celebrating her as “a rare talent who could act with her eyes and sing with her soul.”
Her siblings include music composer duo Jatin and Lalit Pandit, popularly known as Jatin–Lalit, and former Bollywood actor Vijayata Pandit.
Vijayata made her film debut opposite Kumar Gaurav in Love Story (1981). She later starred opposite Prosenjit Chatterjee in the Bengali film Amar Sangi.
(Photos: YouTube screen-grab)
Support Our Journalism
We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism
IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.
Support objective journalism for a small contribution.
