Sanjeev Kumar left my sister shattered for life: Vijeta Pandit

Vijeta Pandit claims her sister Sulakshana lost her mental balance after the star turned her down
Yesteryear actress-singer Sulakshana Pandit today lives the life of a psychologically-disturbed recluse. Add to that, a fractured hip has rendered her somewhat incapacitated.
So removed is her life from reality that she hasn’t even been told about her sister Sandhya Singh having gone missing since he past two weeks.According to Sulakshana’s other sister Vijeta, with whom she has been staying since 2006, it was unrequited love for late Sanjeev Kumar that caused the actress to lose her mental equilibrium.
According to Vijeta, Sulakshana, who now restricts herself to her room in Vijeta and brother-in-law Aadesh Shrivastava’s home, was never able to get over the man she loved when he passed away suddenly. “Sulakshana Didi was never the same after Sanjeev Kumar turned her love down. She rapidly lost touch with reality.
It came to a point where she couldn’t stay on her own. So in 2006, we brought her to our home. She has been staying with us for several years now. She doesn’t meet anyone, hardly ever steps out of her room, unless it is to occasionally visit our farm-house in Lonavala, which she loves,” Vijeta told TOI.
It was widely reported that Sulakshana fell in love with Sanjeev Kumar during the filming of Uljhan(1975). However, the actor was so smitten by Hema Malini that he turned her down. She was heartbroken.
A full-time domestic help looks after the 58-year-old actress, who in the 70s and 80s starred in films like Sankoch, Hera Pheri, Khandaan and Uljhan opposite the leading men of her time like Sanjeev Kumar, Jeetendra and Rajesh Khanna. She also successfully sang songs like Beqaraar dil tu gaaye ja (Door Ka Rahi), Mana Teri Nazar Mein Tera Pyar Hum Nahi (Khandaan) and Bandhi Re Kahe Preet (Sankoch) to mention a few.
For years now, no one has seen this beautiful actress with the lovely voice. “How can anyone see her? She doesn’t meet anyone. Not even our brothers and sisters except Sandhya. We’ve kept Sandhya Didi’s disappearance unknown to Sulakshana Didi. It isn’t that difficult to do since she refuses to meet any guests, even close relatives, and is confined to her room. She loves my two sons and says my younger son is actually her beta,” said Vijeta.
To make matters worse, some years ago, Sulakshana fell in the bathroom and shattered her hip bone. “She had to undergo four surgeries. Even now, she can’t walk properly. She stays put in her room, listening to the radio. She hardly watches television either. She doesn’t do much of anything,” Vijeta sighed.
Vijeta and her family have accepted Sulakshana as an integral part of the household. “We’ve sold her earlier property and bought her a flat in Lokhandwala. But I doubt she will ever be able to move into it. She can’t stay on her own. She doesn’t want to. We don’t want her to. There was a time when Sulakshana Didi looked after me.Now it’s my turn to look after her,” said Vijeta.