Meet actress once bigger than Hema Malini, Rekha, became widow at 25 in first marriage, again became widow at 36 in second marriage; Her name is…

Veteran actress who was active during the late 1960s and early 1970s, delivered several hits like Mehboob Ki Mehndi, Bairaag, Anhonee, Humjoli. After her debut film Maseeha got shelved in 1969, she debuted with Man Ka Meet following the year. With this movie, she became an overnight sensation. She was paired opposite several heroes like Dilip Kumar, Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra and Jeetendra.

We are talking about actress Leena Chandavarkar, who challenged Rekha, Mumtaz, Hema Malini and Sharmila Tagore because she earned the highest in the 70s.

While her professional life was sorted, her personal life somehow didn’t go as she planned. She had an arranged marriage to her first husband, Siddharth Bandodkar, who came from a prominent Goan-Marathi political family. Siddharth was the son of Dayanand Bandodkar, the first Chief Minister of Goa, Daman and Diu. He died from an accidental gunshot wound, a few days into the marriage, leaving Leena a widow at age 25.

According to reports, Leena fell into depression after her husband’s death. She moved back to her home and stopped working for a while. After some time, she move to Mumbai to complete her unfinished projects. She signed Pyaar Ajnabee Hai, directed by Kishore Kumar. During the shoot, Leena and Kishore Kumar fell in love with each other.

A few years later, Leena married playback singer Kishore Kumar, who was more than 20 years older than her. She was his fourth wife and has a son with Kumar named Sumeet. Kumar died in 1987, leaving Leena once again a widow at age 36. She lives with her son Sumeet, her step-son Amit Kumar, and his wife.

Leena was last seen in Mamta Ki Chhaon Mein opposite Rajesh Khanna in 1987.

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