Om Puri, Acting Giant Of Ardh Satya Dies Of Heart Attack
NEW DELHI :Bollywood thespian and most versatile and celebrated actors in India, died of a heart attack at his home in Mumbai this morning. He was 66.
According to initial reports, the cause of his death happens to be a heart attack. The critically acclaimed Bollywood veteran suffered a cardiac arrest on Friday morning, tweeted ANI.
Om Puri was last seen in Pakistani film ‘Actor In Law’ which came out in 2016. The entire Bollywood fraternity is shocked and saddened by his sudden demise.
Puri was married to Nandita Puri in the year 1993. However, the separated in 2013, together they have a son named Ishaan. In an illustrious career spanning four decades, Om Puri acted in over 250 films, his popularity transcending borders and traditional classifications.
Anupam Kher, a long-time friend of Om Puri who acted with him in many films and was also known to disagree with him publicly, was among the first to arrive after news of the actor’s death. He said he had last spoken to Om Puri two days ago.
“Seeing him lying on his bed looking so calm can’t believe that one of our greatest actors Om Puri is no more. Deeply saddened and shocked,” tweeted Mr Kher.The actor was awarded the Padma Shri in 1990.
Born in Ambala, Haryana, to a Railway officer, Om Puri studied at Pune’s famous Film and Television Institute of India. He was also in the class of 1973 at the National School of Drama, where Naseeruddin Shah was a fellow student.
Om Puri debuted in the 1976 Marathi film Ghashiram Kotwal, based on a play by Vijay Tendulkar. He rose to fame with groundbreaking films like Ardh Satya, Aakrosh and Paar. His popularity straddled mainstream films and what was described in the 1980s as parallel cinema. Fans on Twitter referred to his iconic roles in films like Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro and Maachis.
Om Puri, along with Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil, were among the critically-acclaimed actors who featured in award-winning films like Bhavni Bhavai (1980), Sadgati (1981), Ardh Satya (1982), Mirch Masala (1986) and Dharavi (1992).
He played a notable cameo in Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi In the 1990s, he ventured into commercial films that catered to the masses rather than critics. One of his most memorable performances was in the film Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro.
Over the years, Om Puri also carved a niche in American and British productions. His Hollywood outings include City of Joy (1992) with Patrick Swayze, Wolf (1994) with Jack Nicholson and The Ghost and the Darkness (1996) with Val Kilmer. He played General Zia-ul-Haq in Charlie Wilson’s War, which stars Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts.
