Bollywood's favourite mother, who worked with Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, was left alone to die by her own son; her tragic death...

Achala Sachdev was a well-known actress who appeared in over 250 films. She became famous for playing loving mothers and grandmothers in Bollywood. But sadly, she passed away alone after being abandoned by her family.

Achala was born on May 3, 1920, in Peshawar, into a Punjabi family. She was the youngest of four sisters. Her life changed early on when her father passed away, leaving the family in a tough situation.

To support her family, Achala began working at a young age. She became a radio announcer for All India Radio (AIR) in Lahore. After the partition, her family moved to Delhi, where she continued her job at AIR. She also started interviewing film stars and made small film appearances.

Her big break came in 1950 when she played Dev Anand’s sister in the film Dilruba. The film was a hit and led to more roles, especially as a mother or sister in movies like Sangam, Footpath, Dil Ek Mandir, and Miss Mary. Her final film role was in Karan Johar’s Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001), where she played the grandmother of Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan’s characters.

Achala was married twice. Her first husband, Gyan Sachdev, was a film director. They had a son, Jothin, who later moved to the US. Achala and Gyan separated, and she later married Clifford Douglas Peters. After marrying him, she moved to Pune. Sadly, after Peters passed away, Achala was left all alone.

In her later years, Achala struggled to live on her own. In September 2011, she slipped in her kitchen and fractured her leg. Later, doctors found multiple embolisms in her brain, which caused paralysis and blindness. She spent her last three months in the hospital and passed away on April 30, 2012.