CHENNAI : Vikram Gokhale, doyen of Marathi film and theatre, and an indelible figure of popular Hindi cinema, passed away in Pune following prolonged illness.
He was 77.
Born to a line of actors (his great grandmother, Durgabai Kamat, was the first female actor of the Indian screen, while his grandmother, Kamlabai Gokhale, was our first female child actor and his father Chandrakant Gokhale was a veteran Marathi film and stage actor), Vikram Gokhale was known for his gravitas and mastery of craft.
Bearing a stern, thoughtful face that could just as easily break into an expressive smile, he played patriarchs and policemen, fathers and authority figures. He made his film debut in the Amitabh Bachchan starrer Parwana in 1971. The association would spark a lifelong friendship, with the actors reuniting for Khuda Gawah (1992), Agneepath (1990), and most recently, in Ab Aani CD (2020).
Bachchan is also credited with helping out the late actor during one of the latter’s lowest phases in life. In an interview, Gokhale shared that Bachchan used his political clout to get him a house at a time when he had no roof over his head in Mumbai. The actor had added that he had framed the letter informing him of the same.
Vikram Gokhale won the National Award for the Marathi film Anumati (2013).He also enjoyed an illustrious TV career with successful Doordarshan shows in Udaan (1989), Kshitij Ye Nahi (1992) and Natkhat Narad (1985). He also shared screen space with Smriti Irani in the Sony soap Virrudh (2007).
To a younger generation, he’s perhaps best remembered as Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s dour and domineering father from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999).
Others may recall the mystic Acharya Yagyaprakash Bharti from the horror-comedy Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007); the authoritative Maharaja from Hey Ram (2000) or the truth-telling friend from Natsamrat (2015).
Vikram Gokhale, who worked across genres and styles, on stage and in films, was always memorable in a sure, sober, self-assured way. Working in a vast range of supporting roles, he knew schmaltz and melodrama, hysteria and farce. He could fade into the background of a scene, quietly biding his time till his attention — or often, anger — was invoked.
Following his demise, condolences poured in from film industry stalwarts.Akshay Kumar remembered how he learnt “so much from the actor.” Remembering the time he shared space with Vikram Gokhale in Aiyyari (2018), Manoj Vajpayee wrote, “Indian cinema lost a gem of an actor.” Actors Anupam Kher, Ravi Kishan, chef Ranveer Brar and MP Prakash Javadekar all posted condolence messages for the late actor as well.
KNOWN FOR HIS GRAVITAS AND MASTERY OF CRAFT
Born to a line of actors (his great grandmother, Durgabai Kamat, was the first female actor of the Indian screen, while his grandmother, Kamlabai Gokhale, was our first female child actor and his father Chandrakant Gokhale was a veteran Marathi film and stage actor), Vikram Gokhale was known for his gravitas and mastery of craft