Reema Lagoo was one of the most prominent faces in the Hindi and Marathi film industries. She rose to fame with some of her iconic portrayals of motherly characters in films like Hum Saath Saath Hai, Hum Aapke Hai Koun, and Maine Pyar Kiya, among others. Apart from her long list of Hindi films, one must remember that she had been an equally prolific artist in Marathi films and stage theatre. Unfortunately, leaving behind a golden career, she passed away unexpectedly on May 18, 2017. Interestingly, while so much is known about her professional life, it was only that the world got to know a little bit of her personal life posthumously, when her ex-husband and dear friend, Vivek Lagoo, revealed it to the world.
Reema Lagoo was born as Nayan Bhadbhade in 1958, and was the daughter of eminent yesteryear Marathi actress, Mandakini Bhadbhade. From childhood, Reema had shown signs of interest in following her mother’s footsteps into acting. Thereafter, she took her first baby steps in the same as she kickstarted her acting career as a child artist for five films. Among these, it was notable theatre veteran, Durga Khote’s play titled, Masterji that had given her a big name at an early age. Thereafter, she debuted as a senior Marathi actress with her outstanding work in P L Deshpande’s play, an adaption of the iconic English drama, My Fair Lady. Finally, she made her prominent mark in the Hindi film industry when she portrayed Juhi Chawla’s mother in the hit film, Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak.
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After her sudden demise in 2017, the entire nation, including Reema’s ardent fans, were left with a deep sense of shock. Similar were the feelings for Reema’s ex-husband, Vivek Lagoo, who missed his companion of so many years dearly. While the duo was divorced long ago, they still shared an amicable bonding. In one of his interviews post Reema’s death, Vivek opened up on the many tenets of his love story with the actress and revealed that they had met each other for the first time at a bank where they worked together. Moreover, it was their shared love for theatre that made them fall for one another. In his words:
“We were working together in the same bank and both of us were inclined to theatre.”
It was a case of love at first sight for Reema and Vivek. Vivek was 23 years old in 1976 when their love blossomed. Unlike modern relationships, which take a long time before attaining completion in marriage, Reema and Vivek dated for just two years before tying the knot in 1978. Recalling how Reema had a strong passion for films and theatre and wanted to act in films, Vivek mentioned:
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“I was only 23 years old then. I first met her in November '76, we were husband and wife in '78. She was very pretty and wanted to act in films.”
After marriage, both partners dived headlong towards their passion for films and theatre. It was nearly 10 years post their marriage that the couple welcomed their daughter, Mrunmayee, into their lives in 1988. Their baby girl filled love, light and laughter in their lives more than ever. Incidentally, Mrunmayee followed in her mother's footsteps and made a name for herself in both the Marathi and Hindi film worlds.
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After a few years of their marriage, irreconcilable issues crept up between Reema and Vivek, which made them decide to part ways. However, their divorce was amicable, and the custody of their daughter was handed over to the actress herself. Speaking up on the same, Vivek mentioned that phase of his life with Reema where both of them wished to restructure their lives. In his words:
“It was an understanding to restructure our lives. The parting was amicable."
Well, Reema Lagoo was an actress with a mentality way ahead of her times. Proof of the same was found when she approached her ex-husband, Vivek Lagoo to work together right after a few years of their divorce. The primary idea behind such a thought was that both the ex-partners were so driven in their passion for acting that they put behind their past without hesitation. In the same interview, Vivek recalled how society and people judged them for the same, but they were able to brush it aside. In his words:
“3 years ago, we did the Hindi play Doosra Silsila. People wondered that how a separated couple can work together in unison. But we always believed that 'hobby and work comes before personal relationship.”
Moving further in the same interview, Vivek Lagoo recalled how his ex-wife, Reema, had requested him to write a one-woman show for her, which he would only direct. He and their daughter, Mrunmayee, were looking out for the perfect script, but unfortunately, things remained unfinished as they could not finalise anything post-production. In his words:
“Reema wanted to do a one-woman show and my daughter Mrunmayee and I started searching for a script in this regard. Reema wanted me to write it and I even locked on a particular script and went to Vijaya Mehta, my guru, who agreed to help us. Lekin woh show bana nahi, bas reh gaya.”
Furthermore, Vivek also painfully recollected in the interview, the last moments of the actress on the mortal plane, right after she was admitted to the hospital after suffering from a heart attack. He revealed that Reema had no history of heart aliment, and in fact everyone thought it was her chronic bout of acidity related issues. In his words:
“Reema had no history of any heart ailment or even discomfort. It was a bad shock. When she complained of uneasiness, my daughter and son-in-law Vinay took her to the hospital. It was 1 am and they thought given the late hour, a hospital would be the best place to get her checked. It was felt that she was restless because of a chronic bout of acidity. An ECG was taken when Reema was admitted and it revealed that she had suffered a very mild heart attack recently. She was admitted in the ICU. Around this time, Reema fell asleep, and then she suddenly started snoring. Then suddenly, her pulse rate and blood pressure went haywire. Doctors rushed in but could not revive her. It was 3:20 am then.”
At the end of the interview, Vivek Lagoo had candidly expressed the reasons as to why he never considered remarrying after getting divorced from Reema. Mentioning it promptly how love and marriage for him are only a one-time thing, he mentioned:
“There's a similarity between Gulzar, Basu Bhattacharya and myself: No more, just once. And after our marriage is over, we stay alone.”
What do you think about Reema Lagoo’s love story with Vivek Lagoo?
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