Leena Chandavarkar always wished to be an actress and was one of the topmost heroines in the 70s. Born in a Konkani Marathi family in Dharwad, Karnataka, Leena came to Mumbai to pursue her dream of becoming an actress. She made her debut in the film, Man Ka Meet in 1968 and it was Sunil Dutt’s wife, Nargis, who groomed her. The film turned out to be a super hit and Leena became a star overnight.
Leena was at the peak of her career when she got engaged to industrialist, Siddharth Bandodkar, son of the first Chief Minister of Goa, Dayanand Bandodkar. In 1975, Leena and Siddharth had a grand wedding in Panaji, however, 11 days after her wedding, her husband, Siddharth shot himself accidentally while cleaning his revolver. After a 11-month treatment, Siddharth passed away in 1976, leaving Leena a widow at the age of 26.
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Leena Chandavarkar was doomed into depression after Siddharth’s death, and her parents brought her back to her hometown in Dharwad. People called her manglik and she was insulted for being a widow. After some time, Leena returned to Mumbai to complete her unfinished films. In 1976, Leena signed Kishore Kumar’s directorial film, Pyar Ajnabi Hai and the duo fell in love. However, when Kishore Kumar proposed to her for marriage, she refused it. Talking about the same, Kishore Kumar’s son, from his first wife, Ruma Guha Thakurta, Amit Kumar had said:
“With Leena Chandavarkar, Baba (father) finally found happiness… Baba offered her a role in his film, when she had lost her husband (Siddharth Bandodkar) and had come down to Mumbai to complete two pending films. She accepted the film and got out of her depression. She declined his (marriage) proposal, but later impulsively accepted Baba's standing offer."
After much persuasion, Leena agreed to marry Kishore Kumar, however, her father was against the match as Kishore was married thrice. Kishore Kumar was deeply in love with Leena, and he was so adamant about marrying her that he went to her home in Dharwad and sang the son, Nafrat karne walon ke seene me pyaar bhar do, which melted Leena’s father’s heart.
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It is reported that Kishore Kumar married Leena Chandavarkar in 1980. But do you know Leena was pregnant when she took the saath pheras with Kishore? Yes, Leena and Kishore had two marriages, one was a registered marriage, and another was as per the Hindu rituals. In a throwback interview with Cineplot in 1977, Leena revealed being seven months pregnant during her Hindu wedding and had shared:
“I married KK, twice. One was a registered marriage and the other by Vedic rites. My mother felt that a marriage was not solemnized unless the couple took saat pheras... I was nine months pregnant with Sumeet by then… It was funny to see a very pregnant me taking the saat pheras and resting in between the pooja!”
Kishore Kumar passed away in 1987 and left Leena a widow once again at the age of 36. Recalling the day of his death, Leena revealed that she thought he was fooling around her. She was quoted as saying:
“On the morning of October 13 (the day Kishore Kumar passed away in 1987), he looked pale and as though in deep sleep. As I went near him, he woke up and asked, ‘Did you get scared? Today is my holiday.’ That day he had several meetings at home. During lunch he told me that we’d watch the film River Of No Return in the evening. A little later, I heard him move furniture in the next room. When I went to see what was happening, I saw him lying on the bed. Nervously he said, ‘I’m feeling weak’. I ran to call the doctor. He got angry and said, ‘If you call the doctor, I’ll get a heart-attack’. Those were his last lines. His eyes were wide open and he was breathing out. I thought he was fooling as usual but that was the end."
Leena Chandavarkar’s life has been tragic. The loss of her mother, brother and two husbands had pushed her to the burrows of darkness. The dark reminders of Leena’s past keep coming back to her but Kishore Kumar’s words, “You’re a tourist, don’t expect too much from life!” keeps her going.
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