MUMBAI: Veteran film, television and stage actor Vikram Gokhale on Saturday died at a hospital in Pune, where he had been undergoing treatment for the past couple of weeks, the hospital authorities said. Gokhale, 77, was admitted to the Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital earlier this month following health complications.
His condition was said to be “critical” and he was on a ventilator. Late on Wednesday night, social media was abuzz with speculation about the actor’s death, but his family or the doctors treating him had not issued any official statement. On Thursday, his family refuted news reports of his death that emerged on the internet late Wednesday night. Gokhale’s wife, Vrushali Gokhale, confirmed that the ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ actor was “still alive”. On Friday, the hospital issued a statement that he was showing signs of improvement. Unfortunately, the actor passed away on Saturday.

After the news of his demise broke, several celebrities from the film fraternity took to social media to pay their respects. Politicians such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Anurag Thakur, Pralhad Joshi, Prakash Javadekar and Raj Thackeray among others mourned the demise of the veteran actor as well Gokhale, an artist equally at home in theatre, television and movies, acted in several Marathi and Bollywood films, including the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer “Agneepath” (1990), “Bhool Bhulaiyaa” (2007), “Natsamrat” (2015) and “Mission Mangal” (2019). His latest release is the Marathi film “Godavari”. Veteran actor Vikram Gokhale ever since the news of his demise broke. Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar tweeted, “Very sad to know of the demise of Vikram Gokhale ji. Worked with him in films like Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Mission Mangal, had so much to learn from him. Om Shanti.”

Besides starring in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Vikram Gokhale was also seen in films like Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Dil Se, De Dana Dan, and Mission Mangal. In Marathi cinema, he was seen in Natsamrat, and Dusari Goshta and also directed a film named Aaghaat. He was last seen in Nikamma. The film also starred Abhimanyu Dassani and Shilpa Shetty in the lead, and it was released in June.

Abhishek Bachchan calls him a ‘wonderful actor’. He took to Twitter to mourn the loss of Vikram Gokhale and wrote, Very sad to hear of the passing of Vikram Gokhle ji. A wonderful actor. Remember as a kid watching him work with my father in Agneepath and Khuda Gawah and loving his portrayal of Rajput Khan! Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar expressed his sorrow over the demise of Vikram Gokhale. He wrote, “A veteran of the industry and one of the most versatile actors. My heartfelt tributes to Vikram Gokhale ji and condolences to his family. We shall all miss his presence on the big screen.”
Anil Kapoor shared throwback pictures with late actor Vikram Gokhale from one of their films. In his heartfelt tributes to the late actor, Anil Kapoor wrote, “I had the honour & privilege to work with Vikram Gokhale ji in one of the films that is very very close to my heart and his contribution to that film was immense, had a great time working with him…he was a great actor of Indian Cinema. Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar expressed his sorrow over the demise of Vikram Gokhale. He wrote, “A veteran of the industry and one of the most versatile actors. My heartfelt tributes to Vikram Gokhale ji and condolences to his family. We shall all miss his presence on the big screen.” In his career span of five decades, the veteran actor has played versatile roles on the big screen, be that of a villain, doctor, or officer. From Agneepath to Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, he starred alongside the topmost film actors of the country. The Marathi flick Aaghat marked the directorial debut of Gokhale, who also essayed the lead role in the movie..”

Gokhale, an artist equally at home in theatre, television and movies, acted in several Marathi and Bollywood films, including the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer “Agneepath” (1990), “Bhool Bhulaiyaa” (2007), “Natsamrat” (2015) and “Mission Mangal” Besides starring in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Vikram Gokhale was also seen in films like Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Dil Se, De Dana Dan, and Mission Mangal. In Marathi cinema, he was seen in Natsamrat, and Dusari Goshta and also directed a film named Aaghaat. He was last seen in Nikamma. The film also starred Abhimanyu Dassani and Shilpa Shetty in the lead, and it was released in June.
In his career span of five decades, the veteran actor has played versatile roles on the big screen, be that of a villain, doctor, or officer. From Agneepath to Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, he starred alongside the topmost film actors of the country. The Marathi flick Aaghat marked the directorial debut of Gokhale, who also essayed the lead role in the movie..”
(With Media Inputs ).