Rajiv Kapoor, Sushant Singh Rajput, Rajesh Khanna: Actors who passed away before the release of their last film

The sudden demise of veteran actor Rajiv Kapoor has left the entire nation shocked. The actor was all set to make his comeback after almost three decades with the movie ‘Toolsidas Junior’. Just like Rajiv, several other Bollywood actors could not get to see their last film on the silver screen themselves and left fans bereaved.Many of these films were great successes at the box office, receiving immense love from the fans, but they themselves weren’t there to celebrate. Besides Rajiv, here are some actors including Sushant Singh Rajput, Shammi Kapoor, Divya Bharti, Rajesh Khanna, Madhubala who passed away just days or months before their films’ release.

Sushant Singh Rajput’s untimely demise had shook the entire nation. The young actor die by suicide on June 14, days before the release of his film ‘Dil Bechara’. The movie released on July 24 and was extremely well received by fans and critics alike.

Rajiv Kapoor died due to a massive cardiac arrest on February 9. He was all set to make a Bollywood comeback after almost three decades with Ashutosh Gowariker , a sports drama titled ‘Toolsidas Junior’. “In fact, he was supposed to talk to the media at length in the next few days. We had fixed up his interviews for Sunday, February 14”, said Ashutosh’s wife Sunita in an exclusive chat.

Another iconic actor Om Puri passed away on January 6, 2017 suffering a cardiac arrest. He had wrapped up shooting for Salman Khan’s ‘Tubelight’, a month before his demise. Months after his death, the movie released on June 25, 2017.

Predominantly known as the ‘first superstar of Bollywood’, Rajesh Khanna was one of the finest actors in Indian Cinema. The superstar passed away on July 18, 2012 due to cancer. His last film ‘Riyasat’ released in 2014.

Shammi Kapoor, another legendary actor of Indian cinema passed away on August 14, due to chronic regal failure. The actor was last seen in a guest appearance in Imtiaz Ali’s ‘Rockstar’, which released in the same year during the month of November.

Sri Devi was one of the most charming beauties of Bollywood. She was also one of the finest actresses of the tinsel town. She passed away on February 24 2018, at a hotel in Dubai. She had a cameo appearance in the 2018 film Zero which starred Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma in lead roles.

Another fine actress of Indian cinema, Smita Patil crafted a separate niche for herself in Bollywood. She died on December 13, 1986 two weeks after giving birth to son Prateik Babbar. Her last film titled ‘Galiyon Ke Badshah’ released on March 17, 1989.

Divya Bharti’s unexpected and untimely demise in 1993 left the entire industry shocked. She was 19 when she passed away. Her last film ‘Shatranj’ released the same year, and was a superhit film at the box office.

An epitome of beauty, Madhubala left the world on February 23, 1969. She died due to a ventricular septal defect ( a hole in the heart ). Her last movie ‘Jwala’ released in 1971, after delivering the biggest film of her career, Mughal-e-Azam.

Well known as 'Thakur' from the classic film ‘Sholay’, Sanjeev Kumar died at 47, due to a cardiac arrest on November 6, 1985. He was born with a congenital heart condition. His film ‘Professor Ki Padosan’ released 8 years after his demise.