Lost Gems of Bollywood

'Ek pal ka jeena, phir toh hai jaana'. The most inevitable part of life is death itself but memories never fade away. In 2012, Bollywood lost gems who can never be forgotten as they continue to live in our hearts through their remarkable work.He started his career as a director in 1959 with Dhool ka Phool, later turning into a producer in 1973 with Daag: A Poem of Love. We are talking about none other than the legendary film maker Yash Raj Chopra ji. A few of his notable works include Kabhi Kabhi (1976), Kaala Patthar (1979), Silsila (1981), Chandani (1989), Lamhe (1991), Veer-Zaara (2004) among many others. Yashji collected his first best director awards for Waqt in 1965 followed by many other prestigious honors for his other works. This man, who wove magic on the silver-screen, passed away on October 21 at the age of 80, three weeks before the release of his latest and last adventure Jab Tak Hai Jaan. He was suffering from dengue and died of multiple-organ failure.Bollywood's first superstar, who made his debut as Govind in Aakhri Khat (1966), has about 180 films to his credit which includes 35 golden jubilees and 22 silver jubilees. The yesteryear superstar Rajesh Khanna gave 15 consecutive solo hits in the 1970s, a record that remains unbroken, and was the highest paid actor throughout the decade. Later, he also ventured into the political arena. He breathed his last on July 18 after being acutely ill for more than a year.Dara Singh Randhawa, the wrestler-turned-actor, started his career in acting in 1952. He has acted in Bollywood as well as Indian Television and was last seen in Jab We Met (2007) as the female protagonist Geet's grandfather. He was hospitalized on July 7th after suffering a cardiac arrest, Dara Singh passed away on July 12th, a day after being discharged from the hospital. He started his career at the age of 50 with Teesri Kasam (1966). A K Hangal has appeared in many notable films like Guddi (1971), Bawarchi (1972), Abhimaan (1973), Khoon Bhai Maang (1988), and Lagaan (2001), but is best remembered for his role as Rahim Chacha in the iconic film Sholay (1975). His most recent appearance was on the popular show, Madhubala - Ek Ishq Ek Junoon in June 2012. The 95-year-old actor passed away on August 26 after being on life-support for two days.Though this popular and much loved Punjabi actor and comedian is most remembered for his television series Flop Show, Jaspal Bhatti has also appeared in movies like Kuch Na Kaho (2003), Fanaa (2006) and Mausam (2011). He died in a car accident on October 25, just one day before the release of his Punjabi film, Power Cut.