New Delhi. Om Puri, one of the most versatile and celebrated actors in India, died of a heart attack at his home in Mumbai this morning. He was 66.
In an illustrious career spanning four decades, Om Puri acted in over 250 films, his popularity transcending borders and traditional classifications.
“Seeing him lying on his bed looking so calm can’t believe that one of our greatest actors Om Puri is no more. Deeply saddened and shocked,” tweeted Mr Kher.
Born in Ambala, Haryana, to a Railway officer, Om Puri studied at Pune’s famous Film and Television Institute of India. He was also in the class of 1973 at the National School of Drama, where Naseeruddin Shah was a fellow student.
Om Puri debuted in the 1976 Marathi film Ghashiram Kotwal, based on a play by Vijay Tendulkar.
He rose to fame with groundbreaking films like Ardh Satya, Aakrosh and Paar. His popularity straddled mainstream films and what was described in the 1980s as parallel cinema. Fans on Twitter referred to his iconic roles in films like Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro and Maachis.
Om Puri, along with Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil, were among the critically-acclaimed actors who featured in award-winning films like Bhavni Bhavai (1980), Sadgati (1981), Ardh Satya (1982), Mirch Masala (1986) and Dharavi (1992).
He played a notable cameo in Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi In the 1990s, he ventured into commercial films that catered to the masses rather than critics.
