It is rather uncanny that Sulakshana Pandit left this world on Sanjeev Kumar’s 40th death anniversary. Legend has it that the late actress was deeply in love with the actor and had wished to marry him, but he gently turned down her proposal, believing he had a short life ahead.
The two shared a warm bond and appeared together in several films. Those close to them recall that Sulakshana once brought sindoor and wanted the actor to fill her maang, but he refused. Despite this heartbreak, she remained dignified and devoted to her family and career.
Sulakshana was the guiding force of the Pandit family, ensuring their financial stability and creative growth. She was perhaps the first star from the illustrious musical lineage. A senior from the film industry once said, “Sulakshana Pandit was equally successful as a singer and actor, which has been a rarity in our industry.”
Before turning to acting, she was a live-singing artiste, performing with legends like Mohammed Rafi and Kishore Kumar. Her brother, Lalit Pandit, has often credited her for encouraging him and Jatin to reach out to lyricists such as Majrooh Sultanpuri and to pursue their musical dreams. “It was Sulakshana who truly led the way for the Pandit family,” he once said.
Paying tribute on social media to her bua, singer Shweta Pandit wrote on Instagram: “Her musical journey was phenomenal and her acting journey was unforgettable.. and she did all of it on her own. 100% self made artist.” She also added, “She left all of us with all her beauty and all her talent ‒ still all within her. All deep inside.. so much yet to explore… her story is left unsaid…”
Over the years, Sulakshana Pandit had worked alongside leading stars of the time, including Sanjeev Kumar, Jeetendra, Rajesh Khanna, Shatrughan Sinha, Vinod Khanna and Shashi Kapoor. As a child singer, she lent her voice to the song ‘Saat Samundar Paar Se’ with Lata Mangeshkar in Taqdeer (1967), and her last recorded notes were heard as a haunting alaap in Khamoshi: The Musical (1996).
