Sulochana Latkar, who was famous for playing the roles of the mother of renowned actors like Dev Anand, Sunil Dutt and Rajesh Khanna, passed away today at the age of 94. It’s been reported that she was suffering from a prolonged respiratory illness and was undergoing treatment at Sushrusha Hospital in Mumbai.
Sulochana Devi’s daughter Kanchan Ghanekar confirmed the grieving news to Indian Express by saying, “She had age related health issues and breathing difficulties. She died this evening at 6 pm.”
Sulochana Latkar, who debuted in 1946 with ‘Sasurvas’, acted in more than three hundred films in the Indian film industry. She was known for her striking performances in ‘Vahinichya Bangdya’ (1953), ‘Dhakti Jaoo’ (1958), ‘Sangte Aika’ (1959), ‘Sampoorna Ramayana’ (1961), ‘Kati Patang’ (1971), ‘Mere Jeevan Saathi’ (1972), among others.
Sulochana became a big name when she started working as a mother to prominent actors and actresses in the Hindi films in the ‘60s and ‘70s. She made a mark for herself as a character actress. Back then, in various interviews, the veteran actress herself agreed that she loved playing the role of a mother or a relative of the lead actors.
Sulochana was honoured with Padma Shri by the Government of India in 1999. She was also awarded with Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004 and the prestigious Maharashtra Bhushan Award in 2009 from the Government of Maharashtra.
According to reports, Sulochana Latkar’s last rites will take place tomorrow, on June 5, at 5:30 pm at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park crematorium.
