Mumbai, Aug 19 (IANS) Veteran Achyut Potdar, one of the most respected and popular faces of Hindi and Marathi cinema and television, passed away at the age of 91 at his home in Thane, Mumbai. According to reports, the veteran actor was admitted to Jupiter Hospital in Thane after facing several health issues, but sadly passed away on Monday, on the 18th of August due to health complications.
His final rites will be performed on Tuesday in Mumbai. As soon as the news of his demise was out, many Bollywood stars and fans mourned his loss. One such Bollywood personality, who also was a fan of Achyut Potdar, was director Hansal Mehta, who remembered him with a lot of love and warmth.
Mehta took to his X account to remember him and wrote, “I was a fan of his character as Jaggu dada’s father. The line ‘Ae Jaggu’ from Angaar made me his permanent fan. Was a privilege to have directed him in my directorial debut Jayate. He played a professional medical witness. Amazing timing and a super caustic sense of humour. Go well Achyut.”
While the senior actor was admired for a lot of his roles, he became a household name for his portrayal of an engineering professor in Aamir Khan’s superhit movie ‘3 Idiots’. While it was a very brief cameo, his character went on to feature in countless viral memes, making it a mandatory content for new-age influencers.
Apart from 3 Idiots, his body of work includes extreme top-notch movies and classics such as Aakrosh, Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyu Aata Hai, Ardh Satya, Tezaab, Parinda, Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, Dilwale, Yeh Dillagi, Rangeela, Mrutyu Dand, Yashwant, Ishq, Vastav, Aa Ab Laut Chale, Hum Saath Saath Hai, Parineeta, Lage Ro Munna Bhai, Dabbang and Ventilator.
Not many know that before venturing into acting in the 1980s, Potdar had served in the Indian Armed Forces and had retired as the captain in 1967. He later worked with the Indian Oil Company. His transition into films and televisions earned him immense respect and he was respected and loved for every character that he portrayed on screen Achyut Potdar’s passing marks the end of an era for Indian cinema but his work will always keep him alive in the hearts of his fans.
–IANS
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