Zohra Jabeen no more

Achala Sachdev, the yesteryear actress who delighted everybody with her famous role in the film Waqt and her famous song Ae Meri Zohra Jabeen died in Pune on April 29 in the evening. Sachdev, who lived a lonely autumnal life, died silently, far away from the limelight. She died alone, without her son and any friend from her illustrious film career by her side.
Eighty-eight-year-old Sachdev lived in Pune over 40 years in the Bund Garden area and was known not only as an actor but also for her philanthropy. A few of her friends in the city took care of her when she was ailing in the hospital. She will be cremated today at Vaikuntha, after her son Jyotin, who stays in USA reaches the city.
Her physician Dr Vinod Shah, while talking to Mirror said that Sachdev was bedridden for over six months in a semi conscious state. Three days ago she was moved to the ICU as her condition became critical when she had a throat infection which lead to respiratory failure. She breathed her last at 5.30 in the evening. “Over these six months, her son Jyotin visited her twice,” added Shah.
Rajiv Nanda, her close friend who was taking care of her at the hospital, said, “All I can say is that there will not be any more pains for her. She was a wonderful soul and did a lot of social work, even though she lived on her own.”
The only members from the film industry who met Sachdev were Ramesh and Seema Deo, who visited her on December 25, after reading a report on her critical condition that appeared in Mirror. An emotional Ramesh Deo and his wife had hummed the song Ae Meri Zohra Jabeen especially for her.
Recalling the experience, Deo said, “We are lucky we could meet her before her death. To be honest, she is actually free now as she was in a critical and painful condition. It always happens with artists. When they are in the limelight, they get too much attention. Once its over they die alone. I am deeply hurt and saddened by her death.”
His wife and actress Seema started her career as a child artiste with Sachdev in Ayodhyapati. “She always used to be happy. She loved chatting with people and she used to treat everybody with respect. As an actress she was very particular about her looks and acting. She was like a mother figure. I still don’t and will never forget her beautiful face in that song from Waqt, when I sang Ae meri Zohra Jabeen that day in her ears. I could see a different spark in her eyes, but her condition was so critical. She will always stay in our hearts,” said Seema.
The Deo couple remarked sadly that despite having worked with so many actors in her lifetime, it was sad that nobody came to see her when she lay dying.Remembering his co-actress Achala, Amitabh Bachchan tweeted last evening, “Deeply saddened to learn of the news of Achala Sachdev ji passing away … prayers and condolences!”
Mirror has learnt that around the time when Sachdev breathed her last, several senior Bollywood stars Biswajeet, Waheeda Rehman, Asha Parekh, Zeenat Aman, Prem Chopra, Shoba and Vijay Khote were in Pune to mark 100 years of Indian cinema.
May 3, 1920 to April 30, 2012 Life and times of Achala Sachdev
Born in Peshawar in 1920, Achala Sachdev started off as a child actor, later coming to be known for her roles as mother and grandmother in many Hindi films.
She made her film debut with Fashionable Wife (1938), going on to act in more than 130 Hindi films including Prem Pujari, Mera Naam Joker, Hare Rama Hare Krishna and Andaz among others. Her most memorable cameo remains as Balraj Sahni’s wife in the 1965 blockbuster Waqt where she was part of the legendary song Ae Meri Zohra Jabeen.
More recently, Sachdev played Kajol’s grandmother in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Amitabh Bachchan’s mother in Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham. She was last seen in the Hrithik Roshan starrer Na Tum Jaano Na Hum (2002). In addition to Hindi films, Sachdev also acted in English language films like Mark Robson’s Nine Hours to Rama (1963) and Merchant Ivory’s The Householder (1963).
Not many people know that Sachdev worked for All India Radio, Lahore, prior to the partition, later working for All India Radio, Delhi.She became a resident of Pune after marrying Clifford Douglas Peters who had a factory in Bhosari. Achala has two children, elder Jyotin from her first marriage and a daughter from her second marriage.