2014 Flashback: The Lost Gems

Amidst the celebration of the holidays drawing closer and the year coming to an end, let us take a moment to go back and remember the bright stars who have passed on. BollyCurry is here today to shine light on the people who shared their talent with the world through Bollywood in one or the other.


Celebrated for his villainous roles in more than 300 Marathi and Hindi films between the years 1983 and 1999, Sadashiv Amarapurkar passed away on the 3rd of November this year, at the age of 64. His last screen role was a cameo in the short film by Dibakar Banerjee in Bombay Talkies (2012), while among his classical roles was Ranjit Rai in Ishq and Dharamraj in Hum Saath Saath Hain.

July 2014 saw the loss of the much beloved Zohra Sehgal, an actress and choreographer. She started her career as a dancer in Uday Shankar's troupe, performing in countries like the United States and Japan. Thereafter, she went on to appear in numerous films throughout a span of over 60 years. She had been a part of Indian theatre as well, and had acted in English-speaking films, and had won many awards throughout the years. She is best remembered in Bollywood for her role in Chalo Ishq Ladaaye and Saawariya.

Popular for his role in Satte Pe Satta, Bhagwandas Mulchand Luthria, also known as Sudhir, passed away in May 2014. His movie career spanned from 1962 to 2009, and he acted in over 200 films. From the 1970s to the 1990s, he was one of Bollywood's best known baddies.

Renowned cinematographer and Dada Saheb Phalke awardee VK Murthy passed away in April. He was known for his camera work in Guru Dutt's classics like Pyaasa (1957) and Sahib, Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962), and he was the first technician to be honoured with the Dada Saheb Phalke in 2008. He was also the one to shoot India's first cinemascope movie Kagaz Ke Phool (1959).

Veteran comedian, Deven Verma passed away very recently in December, after suffering from a heart attack and kidney failure. He was a memorable character actor and filmmaker, known for his roles in Khatta Meetha (1977), Angoor (1982) and Andaz Apna Apna (1994), among many others.

Other members of the Bollywood fraternity who passed away this year include actresses Nanda and Suchitra Sen, and dancer Sitara Devi, whom Rabindranath Tagore once described as Nritya Samragini, or the empress of dance. This ending year brought a huge loss for Bollywood, as the industry truly lost gems who will be continue to be cherished for their hard work and contribution to the Hindi film fraternity. Even though we end the year on sad note, we wish the New Year to be much more pleasant than the one we leave behind us, with lots of happiness, new shining stars and some good films. May the deceaseds' souls rest in peace.

Author: Aradhna K.

Editors: Fatima W. and Sonia R.

Graphics: Shikha A.