Sulochana, The Last  Of The Martyred Cine Maas No More, Amitabh Bachchan, Asha  Parekh, Sameer Vidwans React

Sulochana Latkar who played  mother to  nearly every top hero and heroine of the 1960s  and 70s is gone. With her passing Indian  cinema has  lost the last  of  the archetypal  screen mother. Leela Chitnis  , Kamini Kaushal, Achala Sachdev and  of course Nirupa  Roy ….the weepie all-sacrificing moms toiling over the sewing machine , are all gone.

Sulochana epitomized the culture  of mother-worship in our country.

Says Amitabh Bachchan, “After  Nirupa Royji she played  my mother in the largest number of films. Sulochanaji 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 75^th  birthday. It was  one of the most cherished gifts I’ve ever received.”

Adds veteran actress Asha Parekh, “I’ve done  many films with her. I can’t remember a time when Sulochanaji was not part  of the film industry.All of us gave her the same  respect that we  gave our real  mothers.”

Marathi director Sameer Vidwans of Anandi Gopal fame who is  to make his debut in Hindi  with Satyaprem  Ki Katha says, “Sulochanaji  belonged not only to Marathi or Hindi  cinema. She left us at the age of 96 and spent a good 70 years of those  96 years in  front  of the  camera. So I’d say she belonged to Indian cinema  per se. Sulochanaji was a metaphor for ideal motherhood.  People said, ‘Ma ho toh  Sulochana jaisi ho’ She was such a lovely person and so serene on screen. When she came on screen she exuded  a maternal  solace .While  her going is a blow for Hindi cinema, it is an irreparable loss for Marathi cinema. She is  an integral part of the history of  Indian cinema.”