Singer-actor Sulakshana Pandit, best known for ‘Uljhan’, dies at 71

Veteran singer and actor Sulakshana Pandit, remembered for her voice and screen presence, passed away in Mumbai on Thursday, November 6, following a cardiac arrest. She was 71. Her brother, composer Lalit Pandit, confirmed the news, saying she breathed her last while being taken to Nanavati Hospital.

Born into one of India’s most illustrious musical families, Sulakshana Pandit’s lineage was steeped in melody. The daughter of classical vocalist Pratap Narain Pandit and niece of singer Pandit Jasraj, she grew up surrounded by music. Her brothers, Jatin and Lalit Pandit, would later become a successful composer duo, while her sister Vijayta found fame as an actor.

Sulakshana’s tryst with music began early. At nine, she was already singing alongside Mohammed Rafi and Kishore Kumar at stage shows. Her big break came when she sang 'Saat Samundar Paar' with her idol Lata Mangeshkar for

Taqdeer (1967). What followed was a career that shimmered briefly but brightly. She gave her voice to songs like 'Tu Hi Saagar Tu Hi Kinara', 'Pardesiya Tere Desh Mein', 'Somvaar Ko Hum Mile', and 'Bekrar Dil Tut Gaya'.

Parallel to her playback success, Sulakshana ventured into acting with Uljhan (1975) opposite Sanjeev Kumar. Her poised beauty and effortless grace won her roles alongside leading men of the era — Rajesh Khanna, Shashi Kapoor, Jeetendra, and Vinod Khanna. Films like Sankoch, Hera Pheri, Apnapan, Khandaan, and Dharam Kanta cemented her as one of the most promising faces of the 1970s.

But behind the soft-spoken charm lay a heart marked by deep sorrow. Her love for Sanjeev Kumar — her Uljhan co-star and the man she once proposed to — became the defining tragedy of her life. He declined her marriage proposal, unable to move past his own heartbreak. Kumar passed away in 1985. She never married, retreating from the spotlight soon after. After the death of her sister Sandhya in 2012 — a truth her family shielded from her — and the passing of her brother-in-law, composer Aadesh Shrivastava, Sulakshana lived with her sister Vijayta.

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