New Delhi:
Be it globally or domestically, the recent months are amongst most terrible time that we have faced in the decades. In future, this tragic time will not only be remembered for the coronavirus pandemic and economic mayhem all around, but also as the time when we lost several renowned faces.
In course of nearly two months’ time, more than 20 popular faces, coming from different industries (mostly from cinema industry), passed away; out of which a few were young, dynamic and beloved cine-stars.
While, several of them were veterans or are suffering from critical diseases, on the other hand some of them died at an early stage of their lives. Democratic Accent prays for the peace of their souls and strength to their family members….
Here’s a list of some prominent personalities passed away recently
(Complete list includes few other names and will be released in second part of the write-up)
Rishi Kapoor: Veteran Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor has passed away on April 30. He was admitted to hospital after a poor health. The information about the demise was shared by Amitabh Bachchan on twitter.
Amitabh Bachchan tweeted and wrote- He’s GONE .. ! Rishi Kapoor .. gone .. just passed away .. I am destroyed!
His death comes a day after after his “D-Day” co-star Irrfan Khan passed away, also of cancer.
“Our dear Rishi Kapoor passed away peacefully at 8:45 am in hospital today after a two-year battle with leukemia. The doctors and medical staff at the hospital said he kept them entertained to the last.
“He remained jovial and determined to live to the fullest right through two years of treatment across two continents. Family, friends, food and films remained his focus and everyone who met him during this time was amazed at how he did not let his illness get the better of him,” the family said in a statement.
Irrfan Khan: Irrfan Khan, one of India’s finest and most versatile actors, lost his battle with a rare form of cancer and died in a Mumbai hospital on April 29. Irrfan was 54, who was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour in 2018, is survived by his wife Sutapa and his sons Babil and Ayaan.
It is the second tragedy for the family in less than a week. The Maqbool actor lost his mother, 95-year-old Saeeda Begum, in Jaipur just four days ago and could not attend the funeral because of the nationwide lockdown.
Irrfan, that rare actor who straddled multiple worlds, making his mark in both international and Indian cinema in roles intense and light-hearted, was admitted to the intensive care unit of the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital with a colon infection.
Sushant Singh Rajput: Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput (34) has been found dead at his Bandra residence in Mumbai. The actor allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself on June 14.
Rajput was a big TV star, thanks to popular show Pavitra Rishta, before venturing into films. He then debuted into Bollywood with director Abhishek Kapoor’s Kai Po Che, based on the book by Chetan Bhagat. His stardom came with MS Dhoni-The Untold Story in which he played former India cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Last seen in Netflix film Drive, Rajput was one of the bright starts of the younger generation. He has worked in films such as Kai Po Che, MS Dhoni biopic and Kedarnath.
Chiranjeevi Sarja: Kannada star Chiranjeevi Sarja, the nephew of action king Arjun and husband of Meghana Raj, died due to a cardiac arrest at a city hospital on June 7. The actor was 39. He was survived by reportedly pregnant wife Meghana Raj.
The actor complained of restlessness following which he was rushed to a private hospital where he passed away, his family members said. Chiranjeevi Sarja, the grandson of noted Kannada actor Shakti Prasad and nephew of multilingual film actor Arjun Sarja, had acted in 22 films.
Chiranjeevi had made his debut with the movie “Vayuputra,” which was a home production of Sarja family.
Ajit Jogi: Ajit Jogi, the first Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh and a mass leader who dominated the state’s politics for long, died at a private hospital here on May 29, doctors said.
Jogi (74) had been battling for life at the private hospital for the last 20 days and suffered a cardiac arrest in the afternoon, they said. He is survived by his wife Renu Jogi, the MLA from Kota constituency, and son Amit Jogi, a former MLA.
Balbir Singh Sr: One of India’s greatest hockey players, Balbir Singh Sr, died at a hospital here on May 25 after battling multiple health issues for over two weeks. The legend was 96 and is survived by his daughter Sushbir and three sons Kanwalbir, Karanbir, and Gurbir.
The three-time Olympic gold medallist was in a semi-comatose state since May 18 and had developed a blood clot in his brain after being first admitted to the hospital for bronchial pneumonia with high fever.
One of the country’s most accomplished athletes, the iconic centre-forward was the only Indian among 16 legends chosen by the International Olympic Committee across modern Olympic history.
His world record for most goals scored by an individual in the men’s hockey final of the Olympics still remains unbeaten.
Preksha Mehta: Popular TV actor Preksha Mehta, best known for featuring in shows such as “Crime Patrol”, “Meri Durga” and “Laal Ishq”, has reportedly committed suicide at her residence here. She was 25.
According to Hiranagar police station incharge Rajiv Bhadauria, the actor had been suffering from depression for a while.
Bhadauria said Mehta’s body was found hanging from a ceiling fan by her family members on May 26 morning. She left behind a suicide note in which she expressed disappointments regarding her career and relationships.
“During our initial investigation, we believe that she was suffering from depression. We are carrying out a detailed investigation in this case,” he said.
Mehta had also posted a cryptic message on her Instagram story on Monday, hours before her death.
“Sabse bura hota hai, sapnon ka mar jaana (The death of the dreams is the worst),” she posted on the account which is not verified.
Bejan Daruwalla: Renowned astrologer Bejan Daruwalla died at a private hospital here on May 29. Daruwalla, known for his newspaper columns on astrology, was 90.
His son Nastur Daruwalla denied the speculation on social media that his father had contracted coronavirus. Daruwalla was suffering from only pneumonia, he said.
Wajid Khan: Music composer Wajid Khan, one half of the composer duo Sajid-Wajid, died in a city hospital due to coronavirus on May 31 (night). The 42-year-old musician had underlying kidney issues.
“He died of a cardiac arrest,” Wajid’s brother Sajid told a news agency while confirming that the composer had tested positive for COVID-19. He was laid to rest at Versova cemetery with close friends and family members in attendance.
Anil Suri: Bollywood producer Anil Suri, who had backed films like Raaj Kumar-Rekha starrer “Karmayogi” and “Raaj Tilak”, passed away due to coronavirus on June 7. He was 77.
Anil’s brother, film producer Rajiv Suri, said he had fever on June 2 but his condition worsened the next day with breathlessness. “He was rushed to the top hospitals, Lilavati and Hinduja, but both denied him a bed,” Rajiv claimed.
“He was then taken to Advanced Multispeciality Hospital on Wednesday night. He had COVID-19. On Thursday evening, they said something is amiss and he was put on ventilator. He died around 7:00 pm,” Rajiv told a news agency.
Anwar Sagar: Veteran lyricist Anwar Sagar, best remembered for his hit track Wada Raha Sanam’ from Akshay Kumar starrer Khiladi , passed away on June 3. Anwar wrote songs for the 80s and 90s films such as David Dhawan’s Yaraana , Jackie Shroff’s Sapne Saajan Ke , Khiladi , Main Khiladi Tu Anari , Ajay Devgn starrer Vijaypath among others.
Yogesh Gaur: Veteran lyricist Yogesh Gaur, who penned the famous ‘Kahin Door Jab Din Dhal Jaaye’ and ‘Zindagi Kaisi Hai Paheli” in “Anand”, passed away on May 29. He was 77.
Known by his first name in film circles, Yogesh was a prominent lyricist in ’70s Hindi cinema and gave some of his best songs in the middle-of-the-road films of Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Chatterjee.
Imbuded with a sense of longing and nostalgia, his lyrics have survived the test of time by staying fresh in the memory of music lovers.
Some of his evergreen hits are “Badi Sooni Sooni Hai”, “Maine Kaha Phoolon Se’ from Mukherjee’s “Mili”; “Rajinigandha Phool Tumhare”, “Kai Baar Yunhi Dekha Hai” from from “Rajinigandha” and “Na Jaane Kyon Hota Hia Yeh Zindagi Ke Saath” and the quirky “Jaaneman Jaaneman Tere Do Nayan” from “Ek Chhoti Si Baat”.
Mohit Baghel: Actor Mohit Baghel, best known for playing Amar Chaudhary in superstar Salman Khan’s “Ready”, died of cancer on May 23. He was 26.
He has been undergoing treatment for cancer in AIIMS hospital in Delhi since six months. He stayed with his parents and elder brother in Mathura. Mohit has also acted in films Ekkees Toppon Ki Salaami and Gali Gali Chor Hai .
Manmeet Grewal: TV actor Manmeet Grewal, who worked on shows like “Aadat Se Majboor” and “Kuldeepak”, committed suicide after struggling with dwindling finances amid lockdown.
Grewal, who was originally from Punjab, hanged himself on May 15 at his Kharghar residence here where he lived with his wife. He was 32. Family friend-producer Manjit Singh Rajput, who had known Grewal for nearly seven years, said the actor was facing “financial crisis” and wasn’t able to earn due to the lockdown.
Grewal was working on projects like a webseries and some commercials, which were put on hold due to the nationwide lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Basu Chatterjee: Veteran filmmaker Basu Chatterjee, known for his middle-of-the-road cinema and films such as “Chhoti Si Baat” and “Rajnigandha”, died on June 4 from age related health issues. He was 93. Basu died in his sleep at his Santacruz residence.
“He passed away peacefully in his sleep in the morning. He wasn’t keeping well for quite some time due to old age and died at his residence. It’s a great loss to the film industry,” Ashoke Pandit, president of the Indian Film & Television Directors’ Association (IFTDA), told a news agency.
Krish Kapur: Casting director Krish Kapur, who had worked on films like Mahesh Bhatt’s “Jalebi” and Kriti Kharbanda-starrer “Veere Ki Wedding”, passed away at the age of 28 due to brain haemorrhage, his family said.
There was speculation that Kapur died in a road accident but his maternal uncle, Sunil Bhalla dismissed the reports, saying that the casting director fainted at his home in suburban Mira Road here and suffered brain haemorrhage. According to Bhalla, Kapur breathed his last on May 31.
“He had no medical history. He was healthy and doing absolutely fine. On May 31, he just collapsed and started to bleed. He died of brain haemorrhage,” Bhalla told a news agency.
E Hamsakoya: Former Santosh Trophy Footballer, E Hamsakoya, who had tested positive for COVID-19, succumbed to the virus on June 6 at a hospital.
Hamsakoya (61), who had settled in Mumbai and had represented Maharashtra in Santosh Trophy matches, had returned to his home town at Parappanangad here by road on May 21 along with his wife, son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren aged three months and three years.
Hamsakoya was also suffering from pneumonia, had acute respiratory distress syndrome and cardiac problems, and underwent Plasma Therapy on the direction of the medical board as his condition worsened, a medical bulletin said.
Mebiena Michael: Kannada reality show winner Mebiena Michael lost her life in a road accident near Devihalli of Nagamangala Taluk in Mandya district, police said.
The 22-year-old, winner of a reality show “Pyaate Hudugir Halli Life” was heading towards Kodagu when her car rammed a tractor on May 26, they said.
