Gone Too Soon: 10 Bollywood Actors Who Could Not Make It To 40

Bhubaneswar: Bollywood bid farewell to actor Sidhartha Sukhla as his mortal remains were consigned to flames at a crematorium in Mumbai on Friday. He reportedly died of a massive heart attack.

Sidhartha had been hogging the limelight after winning Bigg Boss 13 and his popularity saw him hosting the show’s next season for a few weeks. His death at the age of 40 came as a shock to the film fraternity.

Here’s a list of actors who died before reaching the age of 40.

Guru Dutt

The legendary actor- director- producer Guru Dutt left the mortal world at the age of 39. He was found dead in his Mumbai rented apartment in 1964. He reportedly died from an overdose of sleeping pills. His films like ‘Pyaasa’, ‘Kagaz Ke Phool’ and ‘Saheb, Bibi Aur Ghulam’ are still immortal in the history of Hindi cinema.

Geeta Bali

One of the most spontaneous and expressive actresses of Bollywood, she lived a short life of stardom. In January 1965, Geeta Bali fell ill on the sets of one of her films. She was diagnosed with smallpox and left for the heavenly abode on January 21, 1965, at the age of 35.

Madhubala

She was a screen goddess, who was loved by millions. Her hugely successful career came to an abrupt end when she passed away in 1969 at the age of 36 owing to some long-standing medical complication of the heart and lungs.

Meena Kumari

The Tragedy Queen of Indian cinema passed away due to liver cirrhosis in 1972. She was 39. The news of her sudden demise came hardly a month after the release of one of her most acclaimed films Pakeezah. In her career spanning 33 years, Meena Kumari starred in about 92 films.

Smita Patil

A legendary actress, who delivered several notable performances, she died due to childbirth complications in 1986. At the age of 31, she had two National Awards and the Padma Shri. She featured in over 80 films in a career spanning over 10 years and is best known for her roles in Manthan, Bhumika, Jait Re Jait, Aakrosh, Chakra, Namak Halaal, Bazaar, Umbartha, Shakti, Arth, Ardh Satya, Mandi, Aaj Ki Awaaz, Chidambaram, Mirch Masala, Amrit and Waaris. 

Divya Bharati

A popular face of the 90s, she passed away under tragic circumstances at the age of 19. She reportedly fell to her death from the balcony window of her fifth-floor apartment on April 5, 1993. She carved a niche for herself within a short span of time with back-to-back hits. She acted in 14 Bollywood films in three years.

Rasika Joshi

A versatile actress, who played the chirpy Janki Upadhyay in Priyadarshan’s Bhool Bhulaiyaa, lost the battle against cancer in 2011 at the young age of 39. She was favourite with Ram Gopal Varma, she acted in his films – Darna Zaruri Hai, Vaastu Shastra, Gayab and Ek Haseena Thi – with the last being Not A Love Story.

Taruni Sachdev

The ‘Rasna girl’, who went on star opposite Amitabh Bachchan in the 2009 film Paa, died in a plane crash in Nepal on May 14, 2012. Sadly enough, the day she breathed her last was actually her 14th birthday.

Jiah Khan

This young and budding talent died by suicide in June 2013. She was just 25. She was found hanging from the fan of her apartment in Mumbai. She shot to fame after appearing opposite Amitabh Bachchan in Nishabd and has also acted in a supporting role in Ghajini.

Sushant Singh Rajput

The film industry was shaken to the core by the sudden demise of Sushant at the age of 34. He was found dead at his residence in Bandra on June 14, 2020. The postmortem report stated the cause of death was asphyxia, However, CBI is still investigating the case. He is one of the few actors who could make a successful transition from TV to films.