Popular Punjabi comedian and actor Jaswinder Bhalla has passed away at the age of 65 on Friday morning after suffering from a brain stroke at a private hospital in Mohali, according to reports. His last rites are set to take place on Saturday in Balongi.  

Jaswinder was known for his effortless comic timing and relatable characters and was among the most loved figures in Punjabi entertainment. His natural sense of humor and sharp observational skills made him resonate with the masses.

Jaswinder did his education from Punjab Agricultural University where he also did comedy performances in his college programs. His professional career began in 1988 with the audio cassette Chhankata where he collaborated with Bal Mukund Sharma and played an old villager in Punjab who talks about politics, urban-rural differences with a mix of everyday jokes. Soon, the satirical series became a success and his character Chacha Chatar Singh enthused audiences. Over the years, he made 27 parts of Chhankata which became popular worldwide.

He started acting in films, making his debut with the 1998 period-drama, Dulla Bhatti. Next he collaborated with Jaspal Bhatti in his directorial, Mahaul Theek Hai, which was a satire on the Punjab police department and their functioning. Since then, Bhalla has starred in popular Punjabi films like, Jatt and Juliet (2012), Carry On Jatta (2012), Jatt and Juliet 2 (2013), Sardaar Ji (2015), Ashke (2018) and more. The veteran comedian was last seen in Gippy Grewal’s Shinda Shinda No Papa which came out in 2024. It was his distinct one-liners that made even smaller characters stand out and become memorable.

Jaswinder was married to Parmdeep, who teaches Fine Arts in Chandigarh. Their son, Pukhraj is also an actor and singer best known for his role in the Punjabi web-series, Yaar Jigree Kasooti Degree. The father-son duo starred together in the 2013 film, Stupid 7.