MUMBAI: The last rites of veteran Bollywood actress Sadhana Shivdasani were performed on Saturday at a crematorium in suburban Santacruz here, attended by celebrities and family members. The 74-year-old actress passed away on Fridat at a hospital in suburban Mahim after a brief illness.
Film personalities including Helen, Salim Khan, Deepti Naval, Raza Murad, Poonam Sinha and others were present to pay their last respects. The actress, who was hospitalised with high fever, passed away around 10 am, Sadhana’s close associate and advocate Ameet Mehta said.
One of the top actresses of Bollywood’s golden era in the 1960s and 70s, she became the first cine star to have a hairstyle famously named after her. Born into a Sindhi family in Karachi during British rule, she was named after her father’s favourite actress-dancer Sadhana Bose. Her father was the brother of actor Hari Shivdasani, father to actress Babita. The family fled Karachi during the post-Partition riots and settled in Mumbai.
In 1955, Sadhana featured in popular song Mud mud ke na dekh mur mur ke in Raj Kapoor Shree 420 . She was only 15 when she was approached by some producers who had seen her act in a college play. They cast her in India’s first Sindhi film titled Abaana (1958).
Sashadhar Mukherjee, a major producers at that time, noticed her and she joined Mukherjee’s acting school. The Filmalaya Production banner thus introduced Joy Mukherjee, Sadhana and her iconic hairstyle in their 1960 romantic film Love in Simla, which went on to be a hit at the box office.
She continued to deliver memorable performances in films like Parakh , Hum Dono,Ek Musafir Ek Hasina , Mere Mehboob , Woh Kaun Thi , Mera Saaya , Waqt , Arzoo,Intaquam , Ek Phool Do Mali , Geeta Mera Naam which she also directed.
Sadhana suffered from an eye disorder to hyperthyroidism. —PTI
