Whatever happened to…

this guy, Mahender Sandhu?

mahender_pinup

All my vintage Bollywood magazines from 1972-1973 (all five of them) gush on and on endlessly about him, but I’ve never seen him in anything (except Joshila, apparently, which I don’t remember him from). He is kind of a dish, though—sort of Dharmendra-Feroz-y.

According to imdb, he didn’t make many movies so it seems that his career did not take off as predicted by the gossip mags. I am sure that happens more often than not, but he’s splashed about everywhere so I am curious.

And also: I love his scarf.

Posted on January 8, 2009 at 11:35 am in Hindi movies, Vintage Bollywood images | RSS feed You can skip to the end and leave a reply.

29 Comments to “Whatever happened to…”

Another Kiran in NYC
January 8, 2009 at 12:47 pm

HAHAHAHA I am dying of the giggles here.

I sat next to him on an Indian Airlines plane (when it was the only game in town)… oh eons and eons ago… and he was dressed EXACTLY LIKE THAT. Scarf and a safari suit I think.

I know he was Mahinder Sandhu because there was much whispering amonst the closest passengers…. Mahinder Sandhu, Mahender Sandhu.. .. pstttt… psssttt (yeah, it was that long ago).

No he didnt say a word to me… heroes dont talk to children!

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memsaab
January 8, 2009 at 12:50 pm

How funny!! I have to admit he made no impression on ME in Joshila, but I haven’t seen the other ten or fifteen movies he was in…the mags make it sound like he’s in everything!

I guess he was better at PR than making films.

Bet he would talk to you now :)

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The Comic Project
January 8, 2009 at 1:04 pm

AKNYC Sent me this way :-) I wasn’t sure who it was, but I thought I knew him..and I was RIGHT. Famous guy during the 70s no? Do you know Joginder btw?? :-)

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memsaab
January 8, 2009 at 1:09 pm

Well, supposedly famous, although I’ve only read about him in my old filmi magazines and he doesn’t seem to have lived up to all the hype in them.

Who is Joginder? I think it’s hilarious that AKNYC sat next to this guy on a plane once :-D

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Another Kiran in NYC
January 8, 2009 at 1:20 pm

Yes now you can all shake my hand and never wash it again afterwards. I sat next to this hero!

And yes, he would totally talk to me now. I am such a chammak challo!

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memsaab
January 8, 2009 at 1:38 pm

You really are!!!!! :)

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bawa
January 8, 2009 at 1:45 pm

Over in Old is Gold blog, the latest posting is regarding a youtube video of the film Itefaq. And while star spotting, I was thinking how they were all so popular but while some are still household names, others are faded and some totally forgotten, like this guy.
Nanda was so popular, but is just a name now, no one remembers Vimmi (I only from her Punjabi film Nanak Naaam..) whereas Waheeda or Mumtaz are still very much here.

Do watch the video, its really nice.

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memsaab
January 8, 2009 at 1:53 pm

Another friend had sent me the link to that; it’s really wonderful. I guess I’m not qualified to say who is famous now and who isn’t since to me Nanda and Asha P. are just as famous as Waheeda and Mumtaz…I didn’t grow up knowing who the stars were so they are all new to me! :-)

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shweta
January 8, 2009 at 2:13 pm

Dear lord- I have no clue who this is- I am sure I’ve seen him while fast forwarding though random old punjabi movies. The gold chain, scarf and chest hair and the major billowing hairdo are pushing me to giggles though :)

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memsaab
January 8, 2009 at 2:19 pm

Yes, but when I think about what I looked like (and was wearing!) in 1973…I sober up immediately. LOL@billowing hairdo!

Up next: the Shash and Sharmila!

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The Comic Project
January 8, 2009 at 2:21 pm

You don’t know Joginder? No one knows him except me. Look up Joginder Shelly :-) and check this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2ODavIy_oE

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Ranya
January 8, 2009 at 2:24 pm

doesn’t he *kind of* look like Jeetendra? Like his long lost brother or something.. :-S

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KoolRaaga
January 8, 2009 at 2:28 pm

I remember seeing his Movie ‘Kaun Kitne Paani Mein’ and was hoping to see his next somewhere in mid 80s

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memsaab
January 8, 2009 at 2:31 pm

TCP: OMG!!!!!!!!! Must.find.Joginder.films. He’s a ***loony tune***! I love him!

Ranya: He looks kind of like a lot of people. Maybe that was his problem :)

KoolRaaga: Hmm. Maybe he will show up one of these days in a film I’m watching. Usually when someone makes a blip on my radar he or she turns up everywhere thereafter!

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Solilo
January 8, 2009 at 4:03 pm

WOW! I am so happy to have reached this blog courtesy Kiran NYC. This is going to be my regular haunt.

Oh! I have seen this guy but never noticed him enough. :))

Some of my whatever happened are… Kim, the girl from Naseeb or Vimmi, why she died on streets. Where is Kajal Kiran? Farha Naaz.

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memsaab
January 8, 2009 at 4:27 pm

Welcome Solilo :-) I was just watching Farha last evening! Very pretty…she’s Tabu’s sister as well, right? (so Shabana Azmi’s niece)? And wasn’t Kim in Disco Dancer as well? I didn’t know that Vimmi died on the streets :-( but I know several familiar faces from past films have ended up kind of broke and alone, like Sulakshana Pandit and Tun Tun?

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mesoliloquy
January 8, 2009 at 5:22 pm

Thanks :)

Sulakshana Pandit is Jatin Lalit’s sister also Aadesh Srivastav’s SIL. Also Manorama was living on a Park bench when Ekta Kapoor spotted her and gave her some role in her serials. She died I think last year. Her only son is in London. Sad!

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memsaab
January 8, 2009 at 5:26 pm

Yes, I wrote a post when Manorama died (she and Rajendranath passed away at about the same time). I think Deepa Mehta helped her out too by casting her in Water (she was fantastic in it)…

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bollyviewer
January 8, 2009 at 6:29 pm

So thats how an offspring of Jeetandra+Dharmendra+Feroze would look like! lol I have never heard his name and dont even remember seeing him in films. Guess he was one of those *promising* stars whose promise just doesnt come true!

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Amrita
January 8, 2009 at 11:54 pm

Aieee, I feel molested. Off to take a hot shower!

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memsaab
January 9, 2009 at 9:41 am

bollyviewer: What a thought! JDF offspring, ha ha :-)

Amrita: *falls off chair laughing*

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Sy
January 9, 2009 at 10:17 am

bollyviewer: Yikes! I totally see it too. The eyes of Jeetendra, the jaw of Dharmendra, and the fashion sense and hairy chest of Feroz all rolled into one. Methinks Dolly the sheep wasn’t the first mammal to be cloned after all!

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harvey
January 12, 2009 at 12:47 pm

When I first the pic, I thought youhybridized a foto of Jeetendra and Dharmendra.
Mahendra Sandhu acted in Agent Vinod, didn’t he?
And he was also in one of this dacoit movies. There was this one with ….? Mehta.
A freind of mine would say “good riddance to bad rubbish”. I myself would never stoop to such levels ;-))

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memsaab
January 12, 2009 at 12:55 pm

He was in Agent Vinod, which I am DYING DYING DYING to see (but can’t find). And he is a real person, not one made up by me :-)

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Rada
January 16, 2009 at 2:57 am

I remember watching “Agent Vinod” as a teenager, which I recall was heavily inspired by “Dirty Harry”, the Clint Eastwood thriller released few years previously.

You are right; he was heavily backed by the journos of that time, but never lived upto the hype…

Wonder where he is!

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memsaab
January 16, 2009 at 8:43 am

Fingers crossed that Agent Vinod will make its way onto DVD soon :)

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Rocky
March 27, 2009 at 10:37 pm

remember mahendra sandhu , yeah he did have the appeal of feroz khan and Jeetendra , he had a nice voice and there was a certian charm about him , though he did no t make it , , he sure was liked in AGENT VIOND , if in the US , i can mail it to you ; i have tons of movies from the 70, 80 and 90’s

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- memsaab
  March 28, 2009 at 1:10 am
  
  Hey, you are very nice to offer to send it to me…I am going to look for it here in India, but if I don’t find it I will let you know! :)
  
  Reply
nagesh kumar cs
June 20, 2021 at 9:32 am

https://web.archive.org/web/20120326065428/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/meet-the-real-agent-vinod–mahendra-sandhu/242514-8-66.html

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