Achala Sachdev View Biography 147 Views

Achala Sachdev who passed away eight years ago on April 30th at the age of 91 had run her full life in the film business.

Born in Peshawar in 1920, she started working with All India Radio, Lahore and later, after the partition, shifted to All India Radio, Delhi. However, she started acting in 1938 when she was only 18 years old in Fashionable Wife, and since then acted in over 130 films. Though she will be remembered for the picturisation of Ae Meri Zohra Jabeen  in Waqt, where she played the role of the wife of the character played by Balraj Sahani.

She was a regular choice of Yash Chopra starting from their first production till DDLJ in 1995. And it was Yash Chopra who introduced her to Clifford Douglas Peters who had a factory at Bhosari in Pune, and they were married soon after.

Achala Sachdev had a role in a number of blockbusters down the decades: Kal Ho Na Ho, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gam, Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Prem Pujari, Mera Naam Joker amongst others.

She had even acted in two English films, Householders and Nine Hours to Rama.

She was known as the Mother of Bollywood. Even later, the grandmother.That is how  she will probably be remembered.