Veteran actress Sadhana's demise leaves behind property dispute

Sadhana Shivdasani

Upon hearing of the demise of veteran actress Sadhana Shivdasani (74) yesterday, several film personalities went to pay their respects at the Khar bungalow, Sangeeta, where she had lived as a tenant for over half a century.

Also read: Veteran Bollywood actress Sadhana passes away in Mumbai

Actress Sadhana Shivdasani's residence in Khar, which has been embroiled in controversy. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

The property was under dispute a few years ago, and in 2010, Sadhana had even alleged that another family residing there had threatened to kill her unless she vacated her ground-floor apartment. Among those who expressed their regret at the yesteryears actress's death, was the man she had accused, Yusuf Lakdawala.

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"I remember Sadhanaji as a very good woman. I never fought with her, and never threatened her. She was a nice woman and I remember visiting her house for some very good food," he told this paper.

At the time the allegation was made, Lakdawala's mother-in-law was residing on the second floor at the bungalow. Sadhana had said that Lakdawala - a builder - had wanted her to vacate her flat so he could develop the property. She alleged that he had threatened to send goons to kill her unless she moved out. However, Lakdawala refuted these allegations.

Also read: Sadhana relieved after visiting the police commissioner over alleged threats by builder Yusuf Lakdawala

He said he is a big fan of Sadhana, and was very upset when the allegations were levelled against him, but added, "Sadhanaji was a good woman, but there were others working from behind the scenes, influencing her to make those allegations," said Lakdawala.

"I put the flat on sale two years after I was alleged of threatening Sadhanaji. It took me two years to sell the flat. The building is not in a very good condition," he said.

According to a broker, Sadhana's 3,000-sq-ft apartment is valued around Rs 16 crore.

It was owned by veteran singer Asha Bhosle, who later sold it to Kakkad Realty. A signboard with the real estate group's insignia adorns the Khar property as well, but the property remains in dispute. Kakkad Realty has been unable to do much with the bungalow, since the matter is currently embroiled in a legal battle.

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"The Kakkad family, as well as Kakkad Realty, convey our deepest condolences to Sadhnaji's family and friends. She was a great actress who shall live in people's hearts forever. God bless her soul. Sadhnaji was a tenant on the ground floor apartment of our bungalow. The landlord/tenancy matter between us is subjudice and we await the court's verdict. We are unable to comment any further on the above legal matter," stated an email response from the group.

Rs 16crore
Estimated value of Sadhana's ground-floor apartment