Veteran actor Asrani has passed away at the age of 84 in Mumbai. The actor passed away at 3.30 pm today (October 20), after a long illness.
Asrani, whose full name is Govardhan Asrani, is originally from Jaipur, and was born in 1941. He began his career in films in 1967, with the film Hare Kanch Ki Chooriyan, which was directed by Kishore Sahu. After films like Mere Apne, Bawarchi, Abhimaan, and Chupke Chupke, he appeared in Sholay. He was an alumnus of FTII, Pune, where he also worked as a professor. During his time at the institute, he taught Jaya Bachchan, which helped launch her and his acting careers with 1971’s Guddi. Asrani also ventured into directing and writing, most notably with the film Chala Murari Hero Banne (1977), in which he also played the lead role, and Salaam Memsaab (1979).
Asrani starred as the jailer in Ramesh Sippy's Sholay. The character was inspired by Charlie Chaplin's character in The Great Dictator. The film starred Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini, Jaya Bhaduri, and Amjad Khan, amongst others. He later appeared in several comedic and dramatic roles.
According to India Today, Asrani was admitted to the Bharatiya Arogya Nidhi Hospital in Mumbai, where the doctors found water accumulation in his lungs.
He is survived by his wife Manju.
