Veteran actress Sulochana Latkar is no more. She passed away on Sunday, June 4 at the age of 94 due to prolonged illness. Sulochana was known for playing motherly roles in Hindi movies like Dilip Kumar’s Aadmi, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar starring Amitabh Bachchan, Dev Anand’s Jhonny Mera Naam and Shammi Kapoor’s Dil Deke Dekho.
In a conversation with a popular media house, Amitabh fondly remembered his on-screen mother and said, "After Nirupa Ji, she played my mother in the largest number of films. Sulochana Ji was indeed a mother figure to both the Hindi and Marathi film industry. I still remember the beautiful handwritten letter she had sent me on my 75th birthday. It was one of the most cherished gifts I’ve ever received.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter and paid a heartfelt homage to the actress. His tweet read, “The passing of Sulochana Ji leaves a big void in the world of Indian cinema. Her unforgettable performances have enriched our culture and have endeared her to people across generations. Her cinematic legacy will live on through her works. Condolences to her family. Om Shanti.”
Madhuri Dixit also turned to Twitter to mourn Sulochana’s death. "Sulochana Tai was one of the most loved and graceful actresses cinema has seen. My favorite film of hers will always be Sangate Aika. Her performance in every film was memorable. I will miss our conversations. May you rest in peace. Your contribution to Indian cinema will always be remembered,” her tweet read.
Amitabh hailed Sulochana as a "gentle, generous, caring mother" of the screen in his blog post about her. The actress appeared with the megastar in Muqadddar Ka Sikander, Majboor and Reshma Aur Shera. He further wrote “We have lost another great of our Cinema World – Sulochana ji .. the gentle, generous, caring Mother that played in several films with me .. she had been ailing for some time .. and this afternoon she left for her heavenly abode. I had been monitoring her condition with her family .. but finally the sad news! We can only pray in such unforgiving circumstances."
Actor Riteish Deshmukh also took to Twitter to pay tribute to the actor and said, "The news of the death of Sulochana Didi is very sad. A heartfelt tribute to this great actress who ruled the hearts of audiences in Marathi and Hindi cinema."
सुलोचना दिदी यांच्या निधनाची बातमी अत्यंत दुःखद आहे. मराठीसह हिंदी चित्रसृष्टीतील प्रेक्षकांच्या मनावर राज्य करणाऱ्या या महान अभिनेत्रीला भावपूर्ण श्रद्धांजली.
Sulochana Latkar acted in nearly 300 films in Hindi and Marathi. She was awarded the Padma Shri Award and the prestigious Maharashtra Bhushan Award in 2009 by the Government of Maharashtra.