When the news came over the wire that Sulochana Latkar had succumbed to age-related illnesses at the age of 94, it felt like Bollywood had lost its loving mothers: Leela Chitnis, Nirupa Roy and, now, Sulochana.
Sulochana is Vinod Khanna’s mother in Muqaddar ka Sikandar (1978), who is witness to his sister teasing him after he has won his first case. Sulochana is the mother who agonises behind the closed door when the sister has been kidnapped on her wedding day.
Sulochana is also Rani Sahiba who is tortured by Madan Puri who will not tell where her children are in Gora Aur Kala (1972). She’s on the ground, chains tied to her arms and legs being pulled like a rack by vicious-looking goons. She has also lifted a weapon. In Kasauti (1974), a harrowed Sulochana picks up her vegetable-chopping knife and kills Satyendra Kapoor.
Sulochana is also the pretty wife to Sakharam in Marathi film Sangte Aika (1959), who tells him, ‘I thought of seducing you last night, but you were still on that musical high after watching the Tamasha, I thought better not to…’
When one has grown up watching Sulochana as the mother figure in Hindi films (over 250 of them!), it becomes tough to imagine her as the sweet wife in Sangte Aika. In fact, it was Master Vinayak — one of the first famous film directors of Indian cinema — who gave her a break in the movies. When she was only 13 years old, Sulochana’s mother and aunt — both of whom loved the movies — made her wear a sari and asked Master Vinayak if he would consider her for his movies. The rest as they say is history.
Sulochana has acted in some really iconic Marathi films, a total of around 50 films, including Sangte Aika, Sadhi Manse (1965) and Molkarin (1963).
The following song from Sadhi Manse is melodious, but when you watch the film directed by Bhalji Pendharkar, it will strike you how relevant the themes of the rights and wrongs in taking a life are still is today.
Sulochana was friends with Lata Mangeshkar, that voice singing this beautiful song that is closest to wabi-sabi state of life which seems like a rare thing today. Other singers have also lent her their voices, including Shamshad Begum, Geeta Dutt and Asha Bhosle.
She’s JD’s mother in Khoon Bhari Maang (1988), Satyanarayan’s wife in Ghar Sansar (1986), Raj’s (Amitabh Bachchan) mother in Faraar (1975), Mona’s (Farida Jalal) mother in Feroz Khan’s Dharmatma (1975), and even AK Hangal’s wife Mrs Gulzarilal in Dev Anand’s Joshila (1973). Sulochana’s career has been enviable: from 1940 to 2007. No matter what the role, she offered her heart and soul to it. Whether she was a young girl in Vahinichya Bangdya (1953) or a mother of twins in Johny Mera Naam (1970), Sulochana had that something special that made audiences weep with her when she wept for her son or daughter… but you’d never think she would be cast as the wilful queen Kaikeyi who was so blinded by her love for her son Bharat that she would send Ram to 14 years of vanvas (forest exile), did you? Sulochana was amazing as that mother in the 1961 film Sampoorna Ramayan.
She has won many accolades for her performances in films, the highest being the Padma Shri in 1999.