Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more – William Shakespeare, Macbeth
The chilly northerlies of December herald the advent of the New Year. This is the time to remember those who are close to our hearts, but they suddenly left us with fond memories. The current year has seen several such Bollywood cinema icons mingle with eternity, leaving a permanent imprint on the pages of history.
Bollywood cannot have another ‘Veeru’
We have lost one of the most enduring stars of Bollywood cinema on November 24 this year. He was none other than our beloved Dharmendra Paaji. Born Dharmendra Singh Deol in Nasrali village of Ludhiana in 1935, his ‘He Man’ approach and look charmed the cine-goers of all ages. Even the present generation remembers him as the iconic Veeru of Sholay, a Bollywood blockbuster. So, Dharmendra may have gone, but Veeru will live forever. He entertained people for over six decades. Besides being an actor, he penned Shayari and Ghazals. He was known for versatility in roles that captivated the audience of all ages. He was also an MP from Bikaner in Rajasthan from 2004 to 2009.
Asrani who had audience in splits, left them gloomy
Another star that Bollywood lost this year was Asrani. Born Govardhan Asrani in 1941 in Rajasthan, he began his career as a voice artist in All India Radio even before he joined the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in the 1960s. His portrayal of an ‘Angrez Ke Zaamane Ke Jailer’ in Sholay, a parody of Adolf Hitler, brought him fame. In an interview, he said what he did to play the bumbling jailer. A comedy-horror, ‘Bhoot Bangla,’ directed by Priyadarshan and starring actors like Asrani, Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal, and Rajpal Yadav, and another film, Haiwaan, will be released next year. But Asrani will not be there to watch his last films. He bade adieu to the world on October 20.
‘Karna,’ too, bids adieu to the mortal world
Another Bollywood actor who bade adieu to the world this year was Pankaj Dheer. He earned fame for playing Karna in BR Chopra’s TV serial, Mahabharata. Born on November 9, 1956, Dheer began his career with the film Poonam in 1981. He passed away on October 15. There is a story behind his role as Karna. Dheer was initially cast as Arjun, but since he declined to part ways with his moustache, he got the role of Karna.
Zubeen Garg, a flower that withered in spring
The world of music was witness to a tragedy this year. It was the sudden demise of singer Zubeen Garg on September 19 this year rattled the nation. Guwahati, the capital of Assam, stood still on the day of his cremation. Nearly 1.5 million people participated in the funeral procession, a record of sorts according to the Limca Book of World Records. Born in Assam on November 18, 1972, he was a singer, composer, songwriter, instrumentalist, filmmaker, and poet. He acted in Bengali, Assamese, and Hindi films. He could play almost all musical instruments. In his career spanning over 33 years, he recorded over 40,000 songs. Garg, who was in Singapore for the 60th year of India-Singapore Diplomatic Relations and to celebrate the India-ASEAN Year of Tourism and the Northeast India Festival, died on September 19 when he swam off a Singapore island. A few days before his death, he said Assam would remain closed for seven days when he died. And it happened.
Singer Rishav Tandon, ‘Faqeer’ also left us
The year saw another flower wilt. It was singer-actor Rishav Tandon, known by the endearing sobriquet Faqeer. He passed away on October 22 in Delhi, when he was just 35. He was well-known for ‘Yeh Ashiqui’ and ‘Chand Tu…', ‘Dhu…Dhu…Karke…, and ‘Faqeer Ki Zubaani…’.
He acted in ‘Faqeer–Living Limitless, and 'Rashna: The Ray of Light. He starred in Ishq Fakreerana as a composer and singer.
