Sulakshana Pandit
Encyclopedia
Sulakshana Pratap Narain Pandit is a Filmfare Award winning Playback Singer & Actor.Her brothers are the composing duo Jatin Lalit
Jatin Lalit
Jatin-Lalit are a Bollywood film composer duo consisting of Jatin Pandit and his younger brother Lalit. They have written the scores for films such as Khiladi, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, Khamoshi: The Musical, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Yes Boss, Jab Pyaar Kisise Hota Hai, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai,...

 and her younger sister is Vijeta Pandit
Vijeta Pandit
Vijeta Pandit is an actress and playback singer, most famous for her first film Love Story .-Early life and background:Vijeta comes from a musical family originating from Pili Mandori Village in Hissar district of Haryana state. Pandit Jasraj is her uncle...

 who achieved fame with her debut movie Love Story
Love Story (1981 film)
Love Story is a 1981 film produced and directed by Rajendra Kumar. The film stars Rajendra Kumar alongside his son Kumar Gaurav and Vijeta Pandit, both making their film debut. Vidya Sinha, Amjad Khan, Danny Denzongpa and Aruna Irani also appear in supporting roles. The music was composed by R. D...

. Her uncle is the accomplished classical vocalist Pandit Jasraj
Pandit Jasraj
Pandit Jasraj is an Indian classical vocalist. He is the foremost exponent of the Mewati Gharana of Hindustani classical music.-Early life:Jasraj was born in Hisar, Haryana in an orthodox brahmin family to Pandit Motiramji, a classical exponent. His family is well known for singing in the Mewati...

.

Career

Sulakshana's career as heroine spanned in '70s and early '80s. As a leading lady she worked with Jeetendra
Jeetendra
Jeetendra born Ravi Kapoor is an Indian actor and television producer...

, Sanjeev Kumar, Shammi Kapoor
Shammi Kapoor
Shammi Kapoor was an Indian film actor and director. He was a prominent lead actor in Hindi cinema from the late 1950s until the early 1970s....

, Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...

, Rajesh Khanna
Rajesh Khanna
Rajesh Khanna is an Indian actor of from Hindi films, and has been Hindi film producer and an Indian politician....

, Vinod Khanna
Vinod Khanna
-Early life:Khanna was born to Kamla and Kishanchand Khanna, a textiles, dyes and chemicals businessman of Hindu Punjabi Khatri origin, on 6 October 1946, in Peshawar, British India . He has three sisters and one brother...

, Rishi Kapoor
Rishi Kapoor
Rishi Kapoor is an Indian Bollywood actor, film producer and director.-Early life:Born in Chembur Mumbai, Kapoor is the second son of film director and star Raj Kapoor. He did his schooling with his brothers at Campion School,Mumbai. His brothers are well-known actors: Randhir Kapoor and Rajiv...

, Raj Babbar
Raj Babbar
Raj Babbar is a Hindi & Punjabi film actor since 1977 and the current Member of Parliament from Firozabad which he won by defeating Dimple Yadav, wife of Akhilesh Yadav & daughter-in-law of Mulayam Singh Yadav. This is his fourth term as MP, in previous terms he was the part of Samajwadi...

 and Rakesh Roshan
Rakesh Roshan
Rakesh Roshan Rakesh Roshan Rakesh Roshan (Hindi: राकेश रोशन (born Rakesh Roshan Lal Nagrath on 6 September 1949 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India) is a producer, director and former actor in Bollywood films who was born in a Punjabi Hindu Kayastha family...

. Her acting career began with the suspense thriller Uljhan
Uljhan
Uljhan is a 1975 Hindi film. Produced by Sudesh Kumar and directed by Raghunath Jhalani the film stars Ashok Kumar, Sanjeev Kumar, Asrani, Aruna Irani, Sulakshana Pandit, and Ranjeet. The music is by Kalyanji Anandji...

in 1975 opposite Sanjeev Kumar.

In Anil Ganguly's Sankoch (1976) which was based on the novel Parineeta she portrayed Lolita. Some of her popular hit films are Uljhan
Uljhan
Uljhan is a 1975 Hindi film. Produced by Sudesh Kumar and directed by Raghunath Jhalani the film stars Ashok Kumar, Sanjeev Kumar, Asrani, Aruna Irani, Sulakshana Pandit, and Ranjeet. The music is by Kalyanji Anandji...

, Hera Pheri
Hera Pheri
Hera Pheri is a 2000 Hindi comedy film directed by Priyadarshan starring Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal, Sunil Shetty and Tabu. The story of the film is based on the 1989 Malayalam film Ramji Rao Speaking, which was also remade into Tamil as Arangetra Velai in the same year. The film spawned a sequel,...

, Apnapan
Apnapan
Apnapan is a 1977 Indian film produced and directed by J. Om Prakash. The film stars Jeetendra, Sanjeev Kumar, Sulakshana Pandit, Reena Roy, Aruna Irani, Iftekhar and Pinchoo Kapoor. The music is by Laxmikant Pyarelal. The film became a box office hit...

, Sankoch, Khandaan, Raaz, Thief of Baghdad, Chehre Pe Chehra, Dharam Kanta and Waqt Ki Deewar.

She also acted in a Bengali movie Bondie where she was paired opposite Uttam Kumar
Uttam Kumar
Uttam Kumar is one of the most famous names of Indian Bengali Cinema.Born Arun Kumar Chatterjee in 1926 at Ahiritola, North Calcutta he is widely known as Uttam Kumar and Mahanayak . He remains as much of a cultural icon as he had been in his lifetime...

.

Sulakshana had a singing career along side her acting career.She began her singing career as a child singer singing the popular song Saat Samundar Paar se along with Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional...

 in the 1967 film Taqdeer. Thereafter, she recorded with famed Musicians like Hemant Kumar & Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar , born Abhas Kumar Ganguly, was an Indian film playback singer and an actor who also worked as lyricist, composer, producer, director, screenwriter and scriptwriter.Kishore Kumar was one of India's greatest performers of the late 20th century...

. She sang in Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Oriya and Gujarati. Some of her popular songs are listed in "Filmography" section below.

In 1980 she released an album titled Jazbaat(courtesy HMV), wherein she rendered Ghazals.

She sang duets with accomplished singers like Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional...

, Mohd. Rafi, Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar , born Abhas Kumar Ganguly, was an Indian film playback singer and an actor who also worked as lyricist, composer, producer, director, screenwriter and scriptwriter.Kishore Kumar was one of India's greatest performers of the late 20th century...

, Shailender Singh
Shailender Singh
Shailendra Singh is an Indian playback singer. He sang several Hindi songs during the late seventies and the early eighties.-Early life:...

, Yesudas, Mahendra Kapoor
Mahendra Kapoor
Mahendra Kapoor was an Indian playback singer.In a career spanning five decades, his repertoire extended to 25,000 songs in various regional languages, including memorable hits like ‘Chalo ek baar phir se Ajnabi ban jayen hum dono’ Gumrah, ‘Neele gagan ke taale’ Hamraaz, and in various...

 and Udit Narayan
Udit Narayan
-Career:King of melody, Udit Narayan Jha was born on 1 December, 1955 in a village called Bhardaha in the Saptari district , Nepal. His father was Hare Krishna Jha and his mother was Bhuwaneshwari Devi.Narayan studied at P.B...

. She sang under the music direction of Music Directors like Shankar Jaikishan
Shankar Jaikishan
Shankar Jaikishan , also known as S/J, is an Indian music composer duo in the Hindi film industry, working together from 1949–1971....

, Laxmikant Pyarelal
Laxmikant Pyarelal
Laxmikant-Pyarelal were a popular Indian composer duo, consisting of Laxmikant Shantaram Kudalkar and Pyarelal Ramprasad Sharma . They composed music for about 635 Hindi movies from 1963 to 1998, working for almost all notable filmmakers including Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand, Feroze Khan, B.R...

, Kalyanji Anandji
Kalyanji Anandji
Kalyanji Anandji is a name used by Indian composer duo known for its work on Hindi film soundtracks, particularly action potboilers in the 1970s. The name comes from first names of the two Gujarati brothers that formed the duo, Kalyanji Virji Shah and Anandji Virji Shah...

, Kanu Roy
Kanu Roy
Kanu Roy was an Indian film actor, and music composer in Hindi and Bengali films. Contrary to public misconception,He was not the brother of noted bollywood playback singer Geeta Dutt...

, Bappi Lahiri
Bappi Lahiri
Bappi Lahiri or Alokesh Lahiri , born 27 November 1952, is a music director in the Hindi film industry. He pioneered the use of disco music in Indian cinema and sang some of his own compositions. He was popular in the 1980s with films like Disco Dancer, Namak Halaal and Sharaabi among others.-Early...

, Usha Khanna
Usha Khanna
Usha Khanna is an Indian music director. Regarded as the first established female music director in the Indian film industry, she remained active for more than 3 decades from 1960s to 1980s. She is still active making some music for some movies and television-serials, more than 40 years after her...

, Rajesh Roshan
Rajesh Roshan
Rajesh Roshan is a Hindi cinema music composer.-Personal life:Rajesh Roshan is the son of Hindi film composer Roshan and younger brother of film director and actor Rakesh Roshan...

, Khayyam
Khayyam
Omar Khayyam was a Persian poet, mathematician, philosopher and astronomer.Omar Khayyam or Khayyam or may also refer to:* Khayyam, Iran* Mohammed Zahur Khayyam , commonly credited as 'Khayaam', Indian music composer...

, Rajkamal & several others.

As Singer

Year Film Song Notes
1971
Bollywood films of 1971
A list of films produced by the Bollywood film industry based in Mumbai in 1971:-Highest grossing:The top forty grossing films at the Indian Box Office in 1971:The last three in the above list were flops at the box office.-1971 releases:...

 
Door Ka Raahi
Door Ka Raahi
Door Ka Raahi is a 1971 Bollywood drama film directed by Kishore Kumar. The film stars Tanuja, Kishore Kumar and Ashok Kumar.-Cast:*Kishore Kumar*Tanuja*Ashok Kumar*Padma Khanna*Amit Kumar*Abhi Bhattacharya*Asit Sen*Hiralal*Ganga...

"Beqarar-e-dil tu gaaye ja"
1975
Bollywood films of 1975
A list of films produced by the Bollywood film industry based in Mumbai in 1975:-Highest grossing:The top ten grossing films at the Indian Box Office in 1975:--Aandhi could not run in theatres due to controversey...

 
Chalte Chalte "Sapnon ka raja koi"
Uljhan
Uljhan
Uljhan is a 1975 Hindi film. Produced by Sudesh Kumar and directed by Raghunath Jhalani the film stars Ashok Kumar, Sanjeev Kumar, Asrani, Aruna Irani, Sulakshana Pandit, and Ranjeet. The music is by Kalyanji Anandji...

"Aaj Pyare Pyare Se Lagte"
Sankalp
Sankalp
Sankalp is a 1974 Bollywood film directed by Ramesh Saigal.-Cast:*Arjun Bakshi ... Shyam*Bipin Gupta ... Harkishanlal *Farida Jalal ... Geeta Sehgal*Jankidas ... Sadhu*Anjali Kadam ... Kamla...

"Tu hi Saagar hai tu hi kinara"
1976
Bollywood films of 1976
A list of films produced by the Bollywood film industry based in Mumbai in 1976:-Highest grossing:The top twenty five grossing films at the Indian Box Office in 1976:...

 
Sankoch "Bandhi re kahe preet"
1977
Bollywood films of 1977
A list of films produced by the Bollywood film industry based in Mumbai in 1977:-Highest grossing:The top forty grossing films at the Indian Box Office in 1977:-1977:-External links:* - A look back at 1977 with a focus on the Hindi film song...

 
Apnapan
Apnapan
Apnapan is a 1977 Indian film produced and directed by J. Om Prakash. The film stars Jeetendra, Sanjeev Kumar, Sulakshana Pandit, Reena Roy, Aruna Irani, Iftekhar and Pinchoo Kapoor. The music is by Laxmikant Pyarelal. The film became a box office hit...

"Somwar ko hum mile"
1979
Bollywood films of 1979
-Highest grossing:The top thirty grossing films at the Indian Box Office in 1979:The last eleven were declared flops but had huge openings on their release and the first twenty nine were declared superhits.-1979:...

 
Griha Pravesh
Griha Pravesh
Griha Pravesh is a 1979 Bollywood drama film directed by Basu Bhattacharya. The film stars Sanjeev Kumar, Sharmila Tagore and Sarika. The film was the last of Basu Battacharya's introspective trilogy on marital discord in an urban setting, which included Anubhav , Avishkaar .-Cast:*Sanjeev Kumar...

"Boliye surili boliyaan"
1980
Bollywood films of 1980
-Highest grossing:The top forty box office hits of the year 1980-1980 releases:...

 
Thodisi Bewafaii
Thodisi Bewafaii
Thodisi Bewafaii is a 1980 Hindi movie written and directed by Esmayeel Shroff. The film stars Rajesh Khanna, Shabana Azmi and Padmini Kohlapure. The music is by Khayyam.-Plot:...

"Mausam mausam lovely mausam"
Sparsh
Sparsh (film)
Sparsh is a 1980 Bollywood feature film directed by Sai Paranjpye. It stars Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi playing the characters of a visually impaired principal and a "sighted" teacher in a School of the Blind, where both the characters fall in love with each other though soon their complexes...

"Khaali Pyala Chhalka"
1981
Bollywood films of 1981
-Highest grossing:The top forty grossing films at the Indian Box Office in 1981:The last four were box office flops-1981:-External links:* at the Internet Movie Database* - A look back at the year 1981 with a special focus on the Hindi film song*...

 
Ahistaa Ahistaa
Ahista Ahista (1981 film)
.Ahista Ahista is a Bollywood film released in October, 1981. The film stars Kunal Kapoor, Padmini Kolhapure, Shashikala and Nanda. Beautiful lyrics and earpleasing music were the highlights of this film...

"Mana teri nazar"
Saajan Ki Saheli "Jiske Liye Sab ko Chhoda"

As Actress

Year Film Character/Role Notes
1981
Bollywood films of 1981
-Highest grossing:The top forty grossing films at the Indian Box Office in 1981:The last four were box office flops-1981:-External links:* at the Internet Movie Database* - A look back at the year 1981 with a special focus on the Hindi film song*...

 
Chehre Pe Chehra  Diana
1979
Bollywood films of 1979
-Highest grossing:The top thirty grossing films at the Indian Box Office in 1979:The last eleven were declared flops but had huge openings on their release and the first twenty nine were declared superhits.-1979:...

 
Khandaan
Khandaan (1979 film)
Khandaan is a 1979 film directed by Anil Ganguly and produced by Sibte Hassan Rizvi. This family drama stars Jeetendra, Sulakshana Pandit and Bindiya Goswami with music composed by Khayyam and lyrics written by Naqsh Lyallapuri.-Plot:...

 
Usha
1975
Bollywood films of 1975
A list of films produced by the Bollywood film industry based in Mumbai in 1975:-Highest grossing:The top ten grossing films at the Indian Box Office in 1975:--Aandhi could not run in theatres due to controversey...

 
Salaakhen
Salaakhen
Salaakhen is a 1975 Hindi movie produced by Parvesh Mehra and directed by A. Salaam. The film stars Shashi Kapoor, Sulakshana Pandit, A. K. Hangal, Mehmood, Amrish Puri and Ramesh Deo. The films music is by Ravindra Jain-Plot:...

 
Guddi/Seema
1976
Bollywood films of 1976
A list of films produced by the Bollywood film industry based in Mumbai in 1976:-Highest grossing:The top twenty five grossing films at the Indian Box Office in 1976:...

 
Bundal Baaz  Nisha Sharma

Awards

  • Filmfare Best Female Playback Award
    Filmfare Best Female Playback Award
    The Filmfare Best Female Playback Award is given by Filmfare as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a female playback singer who has delivered an outstanding performance in a film song....

     in 1975 for the song "Tu hi saagar hai tu hi kinara" in Sankalp (1975).

  • Miyan Tansen Award in 1975 for the song "Tu hi Saagar hai tu hi kinara" in Sankalp (1975)

  • Nominated as Filmfare Best Female Playback Award
    Filmfare Best Female Playback Award
    The Filmfare Best Female Playback Award is given by Filmfare as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a female playback singer who has delivered an outstanding performance in a film song....

     for rendering the classical "Bandhi re Kahe Preet" in Sankoch (1976)

Personal life

She comes from a musical family originating from Pili Mandori Village in Hissar
Hisar District
Hisar district is one of the 21 districts of Haryana state, India. Hisar city serves as the district headquarters. The district is also part of Hisar division, which is headed by a commissioner who belongs to the Indian Administrative Service....

 district of Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...

 state. She is related to Pandit Jasraj
Pandit Jasraj
Pandit Jasraj is an Indian classical vocalist. He is the foremost exponent of the Mewati Gharana of Hindustani classical music.-Early life:Jasraj was born in Hisar, Haryana in an orthodox brahmin family to Pandit Motiramji, a classical exponent. His family is well known for singing in the Mewati...

 who is her uncle. She started singing at the age of 9 as a child and her elder brother Mandheer Pandit (who was earlier a music composer in the 80's with Jatin Pandit, better known as Mandheer - Jatin) was her only constant companion in the city of Mumbai and they both performed and sang on stage till Sulakshana became a leading Playback Singer through many of their Live Concerts with Legends like Kishore Kumar and Mohammad Rafi.

She has 3 brothers (Mandheer, Jatin Pandit & Lalit Pandit) & 3 sisters (Maya,Sandhya & Vijeta Pandit
Vijeta Pandit
Vijeta Pandit is an actress and playback singer, most famous for her first film Love Story .-Early life and background:Vijeta comes from a musical family originating from Pili Mandori Village in Hissar district of Haryana state. Pandit Jasraj is her uncle...

).Her father Pratap Narain Pandit was an accomplished Classical Vocalist.Her nephew Yash Pandit
Yash Pandit
Yash Pandit is a Bollywood film and television actor, most known as a lead in Rok Sako To Rok Lo and Begali film 'Faltu and TV daily soap, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi.-Career:...

 is an Indian Television Actor & nieces Shradha Pandit & Shweta Pandit
Shweta Pandit
Shweta Pandit is an Indian Playback Singer, Song Writer and Live Performer Actor in Bollywood. She has also recorded songs for Telugu and Tamil film songs....

 are playback singers.

Sulakshana has never been married. Actor Sanjeev Kumar
Sanjeev Kumar (actor)
Sanjeev Kumar was one of the most prominent Indian actors in Bollywood.-Personal life and background:Sanjeev Kumar was born as Jariwala in Gujarat to a Gujarati family. His first home was in Surat and family based in Mumbai. A stint in the film school took him to Bollywood, where he eventually...

 turned down her marriage proposal, because he never got over his heartbreak after actress Hema Malini
Hema Malini
Hema Malini is an Indian actress, director and producer, as well as a Bharatanatyam dancer-choreographer. Making her acting debut in Sapno Ka Saudagar , she went on to appear in numerous Bollywood films, most notably those with actor and future-husband Dharmendra. She was initially promoted as...

 rejected him to marry her frequent co-star Dharmendra
Dharmendra
Dharmendra Singh Deol |Punjab]]), better known as Dharmendra, is an award-winning Hindi film actor who has appeared in more than 247 Hindi-language films as of 2011. In 1997, he received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to Hindi cinema and also another Lifetime...

. She also fell on hard times when she stopped getting work. She was living in an apartment with no furniture and that required serious repairs. She was forced to put it up for sale, and it remained on the market for several months, until finally her former leading man Jeetendra
Jeetendra
Jeetendra born Ravi Kapoor is an Indian actor and television producer...

 came to her rescue by convincing his brother-in-law to purchase the flat. From the proceeds of the sale, she was able to pay off her debts and purchase three apartments. Her sister Vijeta Pandit
Vijeta Pandit
Vijeta Pandit is an actress and playback singer, most famous for her first film Love Story .-Early life and background:Vijeta comes from a musical family originating from Pili Mandori Village in Hissar district of Haryana state. Pandit Jasraj is her uncle...

 and brother-in-law, music composer Aadesh Shrivastava
Aadesh Shrivastava
Aadesh Shrivastava is an Indian composer and singer. Over the course of his career, he has composed the music for over 100 Hindi films. His wife Vijeta Pandit is a former Bollywood actress and the sister of the composer duo Jatin Lalit...

took care of her. Aadesh has indicated that he was composing a devotional album for Sulakshana.

External links

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