Subhash Ghai’s box-office smash Hero (1983) offered a bouquet of chartbusters, such as ‘Tu mera jaanu hai’, ‘Pyar karne wale kabhi darte nahi’ and ‘Ding dong baby sing a song.’ But the number which seems to have aged best with time is ‘Lambi judaai’, a melancholic track that Pakistani folk singer Reshma infused with soul. Madhu Malhotra, who dressed in a multicoloured gypsy attire lip synced that song of ache on celluloid, and who was one of the leading ladies in the superhit multi-starrer, ‘Satte Pe Satta’ (1982), passed away in Mumbai on Friday, according to ‘Film Information’, a trade magazine. She was 71. Madhu was a familiar face in the Hindi films of 1970s and 1980s acting in over 100 movies though mostly in minor roles. She was a regular in Ghai’s movies doing cameos in ‘Vishwanath’ (1978), ‘Karz’ (1980) and ‘Vidhaata’ (1982) as well as the horror films of Mohan Bhakri such as Khooni Murda (1989) and Roohani Taqat (1991). In Satte Pe Satta, she was paired with comic actor Paintal. Old-timers might recall her as the joyous girl in a beach hat in the song, ‘Mausam mastana’. “She had a small role in my film, Shradhanjali (1981). She was a thorough professional,” said film director Anil Sharma.
