Sanjeev Kumar Rejected Sulakshana Pandit's Proposal, She Remained Unmarried Even After His Death

Sanjeev Kumar was considered one of the greatest actors of Hindi cinema, known for his versatility. Born to a Gujarati family as Harihar Jethalal Jariwala, Sanjeev experimented with a variety of roles in his career spanning many decades. Winner of two National Film Awards for acting, Sanjeev Kumar made his debut with the 1960 film, Hum Hindustani. After that, there has been no looking back for him.

Sanjeev Kumar’s double role in the film, Angoor was listed in Forbes as one of the 25 best acting performances of Indian cinema. His iconic character of ‘Thakur’ in Sholey is still hailed as his best performance. With films like Arjun Pandit, Trishul, Koshish, Khilona, Devata, Uljhan, Pati Patni Aur Woh, Hero and many more, Sanjeev paved his way as one of the top actors of Hindi cinema.

Throughout his career, Sanjeev played many roles of a romantic hero. However, despite being a heartthrob, Sanjeev Kumar neither found true love nor married in his life. Despite having many girlfriends, Sanjeev remained unmarried. Do you know actress, Sulakshana Pandit was head-over-heels in love with him, but he never reciprocated her feelings. Let us read on to know more about their incomplete love story.

Sulakshana Pandit proposed Sanjeev Kumar

It was on the sets of the film, Uljhan in 1975 when Sulakshana Pandit fell in love with Sanjeev Kumar. Sulakshana reportedly proposed Sanjeev for marriage, but he rejected it as he was in love with Hema Malini. However, when Sanjeev couldn’t marry Hema, he was heartbroken and decided to remain single.

In a throwback interview with a leading publication, Sulakshana spoke about her love for Sanjeev Kumar and how she had never loved anyone as much as she loved him. In her words:

“Sanjeevji and I shared a lot in common. He was a Cancerian like me and also a very emotional person. Together, we worked in a lot of films — Waqt Ki Deewar, Chehre Pe Chehra, Uljhan, Apnapan…We acted in seven films. Sanjeevji was basically a lonely man. He was destined not to marry! I firmly believe that mar­riages are made in heaven and Sanjeevji’s marriage was not destined to be. I have never loved anyone as much as I loved him”.

Sanjeev Kumar’s tragic death

Sanjeev Kumar suffered from a heart ailment, but his heavy drinking habit added to the misery. Despite being a heart patient, he kept drinking heavily. Since he had no one to take care of, Sanjeev continued his drinking despite warnings from the doctor. On November 6, 1985, he suffered a major heart attack and passed away at the age of 47.

Sulakshana Pandit went into depression after Sanjeev Kumar’s death

The news of Sanjeev Kumar’s death was a huge shock for Sulakshana Pandit, who was deeply devastated by the news. She went into depression and was cut off from the whole world. Speaking about her condition, Sulakshana revealed:

“After Sanjeevji died, I went into acute depression. I ALMOST KILLED MYSELF! But it was God’s will that I lived and so here I am, still leading my life, though I haven’t yet recovered totally.  I am gathering the courage to face life and the world again!”

Though Sanjeev Kumar died as a bachelor, Sulakshana Pandit too remained unmarried even after Sanjeev’s death because of her eternal love for him.  After Sanjeev's demise, Sulakshana had decided to stay single for the rest of her life, and that's how their beautiful love story had remained incomplete.

Did you know about Sanjeev Kumar and Sulakshana Pandit’s incomplete love story? Let us know.

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