When Actress Sadhna Shivdasani Passed Away at 74

A major loss to the world of Bollywood occurred in Decemeber 2015 as veteran actress Sadhana Shivdasani, who was a popular actress in Bollywood in the 1960s and 1970s, passed away. ​She had been diagnosed with tumor and had sadly been battling cancer for a very long time.  She even undergone an emergency surgery due to bleeding oral lesion. The surgery had been successful at that time, but her health continued to be problematic. 

Sadhana is best known for her roles in movies like Hum Dono, Love in Simla, Mere Mehboob, Raj Kumar, Waqt, Woh Kaun Thi, among others.   She dubbed “Mystery Girl” due to her three suspense thriller films namely Woh Kaun Thi? (1964), Mera Saaya (1966) and Anita (1967). Her fringe haircut – the Sadhana cut – caught on with the masses as did her dress sense.  She was a style icon on par with Hollywood’s Audrey Hepburn.  The popularity of her hairstyle in India was the equivalent of Jennifer Aniston’s from Friends!  Sadhana soon retired from film as she was diagnosed with thyroid disorder.  She was treated for it in Boston.  Sadhana stopped making public appearances as she wanted everyone to remember her as the stunning film icon, but she remained in touch with her industry friends like Asha Parekh, Helen and Waheeda Rahman. Sadhana directed a film in 1989 starring Dimple Kapadia.

In 2002, Sadhana did make an appearance at the IIFA’s where she received a Lifetime Achievement Award. She is Karisma Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor Khan’s aunt.  Their mother, Babita, is Sadhana’s cousin.  During her later days, her niece Geeta and Aftab Shivdasani took care of her and even paid her hospital bills.  Sadhana married her Love in Simla director Ram Krishna Nayyar (RK Nayyar)  on March 6, 1966 after their love bloomed during the shooting. They remained married for thirty years, until his death in 1995 due to asthma.  The couple had no children.

Her dead was a sad day for Bollywood and literally the end of an era.