Sadhana is a retired Malayalam film actress, best known for her glamorous roles. She was also featured as a cabaret dancer in numerous Malayalam films from the late 1960s onward and shared screen space with leading actors such as Prem Nazir and Ummer. Active in cinema between 1969 and 1981, she later moved away from the limelight.
Sadhana – A forgotten name of Malayalam cinema
Sadhana is among the unfortunate artists of Indian cinema who enjoyed a successful career and immense popularity during their prime, but later faced severe hardship. In her later years, she reportedly lived in extreme poverty and has been missing for the past few years. Now aged over 70, her current whereabouts remain unknown, and it is unclear whether she is still alive
Sadhana’s glorious years in Malayalam cinema
Sadhana was born into a Muslim family in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, and was the eldest of six children. Her father worked as a railway officer. She began her career as a stage actress in Telugu theatre before entering the film industry, eventually arriving in Chennai with big dreams of cinema.
She received her first major break with the Prem Nazir–starrer Rest House (1969), in which she appeared as a cabaret dancer. The film’s success led to her being typecast in similar glamorous roles. In the same year, she once again shared screen space with Prem Nazir in Danger Biscuit.
At a time when leading Malayalam actresses were hesitant to perform glamorous or skin-show roles, Sadhana belonged to a group of actresses who readily accepted such pivotal parts without hesitation. This opened doors for her to work with almost all the leading male stars of the 1970s, primarily in dance sequences. She went on to portray numerous vamp and negative roles in Malayalam cinema, which brought her limited but steady success throughout the decade.
Unlike many other glamorous actresses of her era, she was unable to transition into character roles during her later years—a shift that might have helped her sustain a longer career in the industry. Some of her notable films include Rest House, Danger Biscuit, CID Nazir, Shiksha, Thettu, Lanka Dahanam, Panchavadi, Ladies Hostel, Maani Koya Kurup, Taxi Driver, Miss Mary, and Love Marriage.
Sadhana retired from films in 1986, after which she gradually disappeared from the limelight and public circles. Her final film, Ithra Maathram, was released the same year. She also appeared in a few Tamil films during her career.”
Actress Sadhana has been missing since 2018
Sadhana during her old days
In 2016, Sadhana briefly returned to the public eye after a social media post written by Alleppey Ashraf went viral. She was married to car broker N. K. Ram and spent her later years living in a rented house in Budur, an isolated village on the outskirts of Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The couple had no children. During this period, she reportedly suffered from age-related ailments and mental health issues, and there were allegations that she faced physical abuse from her husband.
For the past several years, Sadhana has been missing. According to her neighbours, her husband took her to Tirupati around 2018 and left her there. He later claimed that she passed away in Tirupati and that her last rites were performed by the Devaswom Board, treating her as an orphan. However, neighbours have expressed doubts about this account, stating that there is no clear confirmation of her death. There were also rumours that she had been admitted to a hospital in Tirupati. Her fate remains uncertain. Read about the contemporary actress Usha Nandini, here
Sadhana – Some interesting and lesser-known facts
Sadhana in ‘Uttaraa Swayamvaram Kathakali Kanuvaan‘ song from Danger Biscuit
1. She was featured alongside Prem Nazir in the evergreen Malayalam song, Uttaraa Swayamvaram Kathakali Kanuvaan. She was paired with the actor for Danger Biscuit, in which this particular song was featured.
2. Right from her debut, Sadhana appeared in numerous movies starring Prem Nazir.
3. Her sister Saleema has acted in a few Tamil movies.
4. Through her film journey, she managed to bring up her younger siblings and provide them with better lives. However, she lost her way somewhere along the line, and in her old age, she became isolated from them.
5. Character artist Usha Rani is her only friend from the film industry. Years later, the world learned about Sadhana’s miserable life in her old age through Usha.
6. When her news about extreme poor conditions appeared on social media, many people came forward with financial aid. Some old friends sent her money on a monthly basis. However, she is not receiving money right now.
Also read: Jyothi Lakshmi – Popular South Indian actress of 1960s
Recent Comments