Veteran Bollywood actor Govardhan Asrani passed away on Monday evening after a prolonged illness. The 84-year-old had been a part of hundreds of films — cementing a special place in the hearts of audiences for his comedic portrayals. He was popularly known by the mononym Asrani and remembered to this day for his characters in “Sholay”, “Namak Haram”, and “Guddi”.
Asrani had been admitted to the Bharatiya Arogya Nidhi Hospital in suburban Mumbai last week after facing breathing issues. The end came four days later — roughly an hour after the veteran actor posted Diwali greetings on social media. Many mourning fans later noted that the post (presumably shared by someone from his staff or family) had come around 2:00 pm.
“He was a bit unwell. He was admitted following breathing issues. He passed away today at 3:00 PM. We were told by the doctors that water had accumulated in his lungs,” his manager Babubhai Thiba told PTI.
Family and close friends attended his last rites on Monday evening at a Mumbai crematorium.
“We did not inform anyone about his demise as it was his wish that we should keep it a private thing,” Thiba added.
Legacy spanning decades
Asrani had acted in over 300 films in a career spanning over five decades. He has largely played character roles, and has garnered wide acclaim for his impeccable comic timing.
His dialogue, “Hum angrezon ke zamane ke jailor hai” has achieved a cult status. The comical character in Sholay was modelled after Charlie Chaplin in “The Great Dictator”.
Some of his popular films include “Bawarchi”, “Golmaal”, “Hera Pheri”, “Chup Chup Ke”, “Hulchul”, “Deewane Huye Pagal”, “Welcome”, among others.
