Sadhana never liked being with female counterparts; sad story of Bollywood superstar who delivered 11 hits during 60s

Sadhana Shivdasani, one of the most happening Bollywood actresses of the 60s was known for her grace, beautiful eyes, and a special Audrey Hepburn-style haircut. Her haircut became so popular that to date it is remembered as the Sadhana cut. Unfortunately, she died in oblivion struggling with health and financial issues.

Sadhana was a tomboy during childhood

During one of her interviews, the Hum Dono actress revealed that she was a tomboy as a child. When she grew up and became an actress she did not like to mix up with girls or rather actresses who more often discussed household chores which Sadhana did not like at that time.

She said, “I really cannot talk much about my female co-stars because I cannot make friends very easily. And even when I made friends, I preferred the males to the females. Sitting and talking about household chores was not interesting to me then. I hardly knew anything about it. So at parties and premieres, I was always with the male crowd.”

While she made her debut as a child artist with Raj Kapoor ’s Shree 420, her official Bollywood debut movie was Love in Shimla with Joy Mukherjee who also entered the film industry with this flick. Step by step she climbed the ladders of success with back-to-back hits like Parakh, Man Mauji, Hum Dono, Ek Musafir Ek Hasina, Mera Saya, and many others.

She was the topmost heroine of the 60s with 11 hits in a row.

Hypothyroidism affected Sadhana’s acting career

By the end of 1960, Sadhana who was then married to RK Nayyar was diagnosed with hypothyroidism forcing her to take a break from the movies. She lost big movies like Around the World and was also replaced in Sanghursh by Vyjayanthimala. It was her dream to work with Dilip Kumar who was the lead hero of this film. All these things shattered the actress but she still tried to make a comeback with movies like Ek Phool Do Mali and Intaqam.

Glimpses of some of Sadhana Shivdasani's hits.
Born: September 2, 1941, Karachi (Ranchor Line-Ramsawami), Sindh, Pakistan
Died: December 25, 2015 (age 74) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.#BazmeNaz pic.twitter.com/KOyCpVsJTl

— Saifullah Saify #BazmeNaz (@SaifullahSaifyS) July 2, 2024

She tried to gain the same stardom by directing and acting in Geetaa Mera Naam but the efforts failed and soon the actress quietly made an exit from Bollywood. Sadhana suffered multiple blows one after the other. She miscarried a child she desperately wanted and in a few years also lost her husband.

Sadhana connected with Nanda, and Waheeda Rehman in later years

In the later part of her life, she connected with actresses of her era like Nanda, Waheeda Rehman, Helen, and Asha Parekh and they used to meet each other once a month. Before her death, she faced a lot of legal issues from the landlord of her Santacruz building Yusuf Lakdawala as well as health problems.

Her finances slowly started drying up and she even pleaded for help but none came forward. Eventually, Sadhana breathed her last on December 25, 2025, after fighting a brief illness.