Archive · 6 Aug 2026
Jal Kamal Massacre: Bollywood Birthday That Ended in Three Bodies
Kamal Sadanah lived with his family in a big house called Jal Kamal in Bandra.
His father, Brij, made movies, and his mother, Sayeeda, used to act in them.
When Kamal turned 20, he went out with friends to celebrate his birthday.
That night, his father used a gun and shot Kamal's mother and sister, and they sadly died.
He also shot Kamal in the back of the neck, but Kamal was very lucky and survived without lasting harm.
Then his father hurt himself with the same gun and also died.
Kamal was the only one in his family left.
He later acted in his first movie, called Bekhudi, with the actress Kajol.
Kamal says that even after terrible sadness, you have to move on and not keep hatred in your heart.
On October 21, 1990, filmmaker Brij Sadanah allegedly shot his wife, actress Sayeeda (Sudha) Khan, and daughter Namrata at the family bungalow Jal Kamal in Bandra.
Kamal Sadanah, celebrating his 20th birthday, was shot in the back of the neck and survived without permanent damage.
Brij Sadanah later died by suicide at the scene using the same licensed revolver, leaving no one alive to stand trial.
The motive was never conclusively established; reports pointed to alcoholism, professional setbacks and domestic tensions, but none of the accounts was proven in court.
Kamal went on to debut in Bekhudi opposite Kajol, while his friend Abis Rizvi, who helped save him that night, was killed in the 2017 Reina nightclub terror attack in Istanbul.
- Who
- Bollywood actor Kamal Sadanah; his father, filmmaker Brij Sadanah; his mother, actress Sayeeda (Sudha) Khan; and his sister Namrata Sadanah.
- What
- Brij Sadanah allegedly shot his wife and daughter fatally, wounded his son Kamal, and then died by suicide with the same revolver.
- When
- October 21, 1990, on Kamal Sadanah's 20th birthday.
- Where
- Jal Kamal, the family bungalow in Bandra.
- Why
- The motive was never conclusively established; reports cited Brij's alcoholism, professional setbacks and domestic tensions, but no account was ever tested or proven in court.
- Date
- October 21, 1990
- Location
- Jal Kamal bungalow, Bandra
- Deaths
- Sayeeda (Sudha) Khan, Namrata Sadanah, and Brij Sadanah (by suicide)
- Survivor
- Kamal Sadanah, shot in the back of the neck
- Weapon
- Licensed revolver belonging to Brij Sadanah
- Trial
- None - no trial with the accused alive; motive never established
- Kamal's debut film
- Bekhudi, opposite Kajol
- Later tragedy
- Abis Rizvi killed in the 2017 Reina nightclub attack in Istanbul