Govardhan Asrani, a famous Indian comedian and veteran actor-director, died at the age of 84 after a protracted illness. He was known as Asrani. The news of his death has made the film industry and fans all throughout the country very sad.
Media officially confirmed the death by tweeting, “Actor-director Govardhan Asrani, known as “Asrani,” died in Mumbai today after a protracted illness. At Santacruz Crematorium, they did his last rituals.
Babubhai Thiba, Asrani’s manager, told media more about the actor’s death, saying, “Asrani died today at 3 PM at Arogya Nidhi Hospital in Juhu.” His wife, sister, and nephew are still alive. People uploaded pictures from the Santacruz Crematorium that showed his family coming together to say their final goodbyes.
50 Years of Laughter: A Legacy in Film
Asrani was one of the most popular comic actors in Indian cinema. He worked in more than 300 films and made people laugh for more than 50 years.
He graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and started his career in the 1960s. He immediately became an important part of Hindi films. He can play both funny and serious roles well, but he is best recognized for his funny and iconic role as the strange jailor in the 1975 classic Sholay. The line “Hum angrezon ke zamane ke jailer hain!” from the movie is still a cultural icon today.
His many successful partnerships with well-known directors like Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Raj Kapoor helped him build a reputation as a very reliable character actor noted for his lasting charm and funny delivery.
What do you think about modern comedy?
Asrani talked about how Indian humor was evolving in 2016. He was unhappy with how it was becoming more filthy.
He said, “Earlier we had two types of schools of comedy: the Bimal Roy school (which was realistic) and the Madras school (which was subtle). Bimal Roy always made sure that comedy was part of the plot. Madras comedy was another type of humor, although it was never rude. Now, things have gotten really bad. “Ab to behad vulgar ho gya hai, bas kapde utarne ki deri hai” means “Now it has become very vulgar, it’s just a matter of time before clothes come off.”
He last appeared in Bollywood in the adult comedy Mastizaade, when he played Sunny Leone’s father. He remarked that the part made him uncomfortable: “Mujhe mastizaade main kaam karna pada, mujhe sharam aayi [I had to work in Mastizaade, I felt embarrassed],” Asrani said.