Om Puri passes away from heart attack in Mumbai

One of the most critically acclaimed and versatile actor in Bollywood and across the world, Om Puri, has taken his last breath in Mumbai today morning. He was 66 years old.

His cause of death has been reported as a heart attack.

In his long film career, starting with Marathi films in the year 1972, Om Puri had acted in critically acclaimed as well as commercial movies. He leaves behind his ex-wife, Nandita Puri and their son Ishaan Puri.

Although he was mostly famous as a Bollywood actor, Om Puri had acted in many American and British films as well. One of his most significant international collaborations was the British Comedy movie “East is East”. In this movie, he starred as a Pakistani immigrant struggling to control his “westernized” children. His other well-known British films include “My Son The Fanatic” (1997) and “The Parole Officer” (2001). He received an honorary OBE (Order of the British Empire) for his contribution to British cinema in the year 2004.

In Hollywood, his most well-known movies were “Charlie Wilson’s War” (2007), co-starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts and ‘City of Joy” (1992) with Patrick Swayze. His most recent Hollywood movie was the Helen Mirren starrer “The Hundred Foot Journey” in the year 2014. He was also a part of Richard Attenborough’s Oscar winning movie, Gandhi (1982).

Om Puri received his first National Award for the movie “Ardh Satya”(Half Truth) in which he played a cop. There was no looking back for him after this movie. Both him and the director of Ardh Satya(1983) , Govind Nihalani, shot to the limelight.

Along with movies, Om Puri had also acted in several Indian Serials. Some of them were “Aahat” (Footsteps), Mr Yogi and more recently, “Saavdhan India”(Careful India). He was awarded “Padma Shri”, one of the highest Indian honours for civilians, in the year 1991.

With his demise, the world has lost a great actor.