MUMBAI: Bollywood celebrities bid a tearful adieu to veteran actor Om Puri as his last rites were performed here on Friday evening.The 66-year-old actor died of a heart attack on Friday morning at his residence, leaving not only his family, close friends and colleagues from the film industry but also personalities from the world of politics in shock. The last rites started around 6.45 pm and were conducted by Puri’s son Ishaan at the Oshiwara crematorium.
Puri’s estranged wife Nandita, son Ishaan accompanied the body along with filmmaker friend Ashok Pandit.Puri is survived by his estranged wife Nandita and son Ishaan.
In his 44 years in theatre, silver screen and television, Om Puri acted with almost all the top actors.
Om Puri was born in Ambala in a humble Punjabi family. An alumnus of National School of Drama and Film and Television Institute of India, he was a commoner who dreamt big and rose to the top.
Describing him as a talented, fantastic and exceptional actor, the film industry on Friday condoled the death of Om Puri. Jabbar Patel, with whom Puri acted in the first film of his life, said, “Om Puri was a gifted actor. His talents were extraordinary. He engaged his voice, his body language and the unmatched acting skills, all to take every role he played t new heights. I’ve seen him in all stages of age. He used age related changes in personality too very well to take his acting on the next level. He was simple and transparent. People would always remember him.”
Senior actor and director Amol Palekar said, “Om created his own place in the films as well as theatre. We became friends since we were theatre actors. We acted together in several films also. Those were nice days we spent together. He once said that Naseer and he found access into the industry because of me, because I made the aam aadmi a poster boy. He was too humble to realise that I only symbolised the urban aam aadmi whereas Naseer and he symbolised aam aadmis.”
Some of the films in which he played memorable roles include as Bhavni Bhavai (1980), Sadgati (1981), Ardh Satya (1982), Mirch Masala (1986) and Dharavi (1992). He played the role of victimized tribal in Aakrosh (1980). In Mithin Chakraborty starred super hit Disco Dancer (1982) and Maachis (1996), he gave super performances.