Sadhana Shivdasani, the woman who defined elegance and grace for Bollywood and its fans in the 1960s and beyond, died here on Friday following a brief, undisclosed illness. She was 74.
For over a decade since her debut in Hindi movies in 1960, Sadhana would define style and became an icon through a series of blockbuster movies which not only shot her to fame, but also created an eponymous haircut that remains popular even today.
The “Sadhana Cut” is but one small tribute to an actor whose legacy remains alive with such films as Mera Saaya (1966), Woh Kaun Thi (1964), Gaban (1966), Mere Mehboob (1963), Ek Musafir Ek Hasina (1962), Hum Dono (1961), Rajkumar (1964), Waqt (1965), and Ek Phool Do Mali (1969). She was part of several other cinematic landmarks , but was possibly at the pinnacle of her acting abilities in these nine movies.
Sadhana’s period of influence in Hindi cinema, like other female superstars in Bollywood, was relatively brief; just about a decade and a half. She acted in an era in which other female film icons — Asha Parekh, Vyajayantimala Bali, Sharmila Tagore, Nutan, Tanuja, Waheeda Rahman and Mala Sinha — were involved in an intense competition with each other. Despite that, they all held onto their own and some of them became friends later.
Big shoes to fill
As a leading heroine of her time, Sadhana had big shoes to fill, for her era followed the age of three of Bollywood’s greatest female performers: Nargis, Madhubala and Meena Kumari. Despite the fame she achieved, Sadhana’s sunset years were spent in loneliness. Her husband, R.K. Nayyar (her director in Love in Simla), died in 1995, 29 years after they got married. She fought a long-drawn-out legal battle over her tenancy, and her battle with hyperthyroidism left her with a deformity in her eyes.
Silent farewell
Leave me alone, Sadhana would often say, for she wanted to be remembered just the way she was in the 1960s. She died alone at Fortis Hospital in Mahim on Friday; alone, and away from the glare of spotlight. Perhaps that is how it should have been. A silent farewell to a woman with quiet grace.
Film world mourns
Prem Chopra: My career began with her in Woh Kaun Thi (1964). We also did Mera Saaya (1966) and Aap Aaye Baahar Aaye (1971). We had a great association. She was already a star when I came in but she was always very cooperative. She was an educated woman and a versatile artist. She was also an iconic figure of her time. Her fringe cut hair style was a rage and a generation of girls grew up wanting to get the “Sadhna cut”. It’s not easy to reach that kind of stature. The physical deformity that the thyroid disorder caused in her was so unfortunate. Her exterior was still very pleasant despite the deformity. But as an actor, I can understand how terrible an artist of that stature must have felt about it. She could have gone into depression but she put up a brave front.
Asha Parekh: She was a great actress, a wonderful and a very friendly person. She was a brave woman and she has really fought through her life. She stood by what she believed in. We had a small group of friends and we used to go out for lunches and movies. It was fun being with her, she was so full of life.
Mahesh Bhatt: Sadhana came into our lives in those dark auditoriums in black and white images of Woh Kaun Thi. We also had the privilege in colour with Mere Mehboob (1963) and then with the iconic song ‘Abhi Na Jao’ with Dev Anand in Vijay Anand’s Hum Dono (1961). Unfortunately, her career was aborted because of her ailment. It scarred her face and she had to make a sudden exit from films. I ran into her two years ago when Salim Khan sought my help in an unfortunate situation that had arisen. She was being intimidated and threatened by the builder Yusuf Lakdawala, to leave her property that is owned by Asha Bhonsle.
As a junior fraternity member, it was my duty to rise to occasion. Luckily, the problem was nipped in the bud and thereafter she had a comfortable time. The Sadhana I saw on screen continues to flicker in my consciousness. But it had a stark difference with the one I rubbed shoulders with. There was a huge gap between the real life problems of the deglamourised, flesh and blood Sadhana and the screen diva persona that was engraved in my mind as a child in my formative years at the movies.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali: There used to be a film-crazy uncle in the chawl that I grew up in. He used to play one film again and again. It was called Asli-Nakli (1962) and it starred Dev Anand and Sadhana. The song, ‘Tera Mera Pyaar Amar’ had Sadhana singing on a terrace. Our home used to be on the wrong side of the screen and every time that song would appear, I used to come out of our place and experience it ulta. Since then, I have had a growing romance with the most beautiful woman I’d seen singing a beautiful song, all discovered in a chawl. But it’s her songs that I remember the most. She sang the best of Madan Mohan, Salil Chowdhury and Lata Mangheshkar songs on screen. She was dignified and beautiful in ‘Abhi Na Jao Chod kar’, the greatest romantic Hindi film song ever. And it belonged to Sadhnaji.
Published - December 25, 2015 02:46 pm IST
