Kavita Choudhary was ‘Lalitaji’ the face of ‘Surf’ ads. ‘Isse mein samajdari hai’ was her iconic advice to buy the detergent. She had reached every house hold with her neatly draped saree & a vermilion bindi.
She was an Indian actress, director, producer & writer. She dominated the TV screens. Her portrayal of IPS officer Kalyani Singh in the Doordarshan series ‘Udaan’. She was the younger sister of police officer Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya.
Never has our screens seen such an honest portrayal. Lady officers may be many. But Kalyani Singh stands tall among them. No frills. Hard work & determination to achieve the goal.
She died on 15 Feb.2024 in Amritsar, Punjab, India. She died of heart attack at the age of 67.
In 1981 -82 she appeared in ‘Apradhi Kaun!’. I remember that series as a mystery thriller. We had to wait for the next week to see who was the culprit. Those were the early days of Indian television. Some programmes were produced by Mumbai DD & others were transmitted by Delhi.
‘Udaan’ was aired in 1989-91 by DD National. Without any choices, everybody watched the same channel. From ‘Hum Log’ or ‘Khandhan’ every actor was our friend. We discussed the episodes as if it was happening in our neighborhood.
So, everyone knew Lalitaji! In 2000, she appeared in ‘Your Honor’ & in 2015, as an anchor in ‘IPS dairies’.
The fame itself was her bane. She could not wipe away the impression. Getting other roles or not writing the script was never her option.
Thus, another good actor is lost. She should have got a chance to really soar high. But the wings are cut short.
Asian Entertainment 