Achala Sachdev (Achla Sachdev)
Achala Sachdev
Real Name - Achala Sachdev
Profession – Actress (Supporting)
Most Active/Popular Decades – 1950s/1960s/1970s
Religion – Hindu?
Ethnicity – Pashtoon?
Date of Birth – May 3rd, 1920 (Disputed) – Peshawar [British India, now in Pakistan)
Date of Death – April 29th, 2012 – Pune – India
Debut Film – Fashionable Wife (1938) ??
Last Film – Perhaps Straight (2009)
Significant others in the Film Industry – None
Miscellaneous Info - Born in Peshawar, Achala started her acting career with the Hindi film Fashionable Wife (disputed) in 1938. She is best remembered for her role as Balraj Sahani’s wife in the 1965 blockbuster Waqt, where she was part of the legendary song ‘Ae Meri Zohra Jabeen.’
After marrying British businessman Clifford Douglas Peters, who had a factory in Bhosari, she moved to Pune. She was staying in Pune for several years, till she fell down in her house in 2011 and broke her leg. She was treated but later she suffered a brain infarction in which she lost her vision and movements of upper and lower limbs. Since then, she was being treated at the Poona Hospital and Research Centre, Sachdev’s physician Vinod Shah said. Shockingly, none from the film industry has bothered to visit her.
She donated her fortune to various organizations. “She has donated all her money to various organizations. She donated Rs.20 lakh and gifted her sprawling 2 BHK apartment in Pune Camp to Janaseva Foundation,” said her doctor.
Achala passed away due to respiratory failure at 5.30 p.m. (Indian Standard Time) on April 29th, 2012. Achala is survived by her son, Jyotin, who is a business consultant in the US, and her daughter, who stays in Mumbai.
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who worked with the late Achala Sachdev in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, remembers her as a soft-hearted and benevolent human being.
“Deeply saddened to learn of the news of Achala Sachdevji passing away….was as benevolent and soft hearted in personal life as in the characters she played on screen… prayers and condolences!” Amitabh tweeted. (Sources – Various Newspapers)
Related Youtube Video – Manna Dey singing for Balraj Sahni in Waqt (1965) with Achala Sachdev in the frame, music by Ravi.
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