Veteran Indian Actor Om Puri Passed Away

Om Puri, veteran actor and Padma Shri winner, passed away this morning due to a heart attackat his home in Mumbai. He was 66.
The actor, best known for films like Ardh Satya and Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, is survived by his estranged wife Nandita Puri and son Ishaan Puri.
The veteran actor starred in several award-winning Indian movies and also featured in crossover ventures.
Om Puri, one of the most versatile and celebrated actors in India, rose to fame with films like 'Ardh Satya', 'Aakrosh' and 'Paar'. His popularity later extended to mainstream cinema, with iconic roles in films like 'Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron' and 'Maachis'.
Born in Ambala, Haryana, to a Railway officer, Om Puri studied at the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune. He was also an alumnus of the 1973 class of the National School of Drama, where Naseeruddin Shah was a fellow student.
He made his film debut in the 1976 Marathi film Ghashiram Kotwal, based on a Marathi play of the same name by Vijay Tendulkar.
The Padma Shri-winning actor , along with Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil, were among the critically-acclaimed actors who thrived in what was then referred to as art cinema, defining films like Bhavni Bhavai (1980), Sadgati (1981), Ardh Satya (1982), Mirch Masala (1986) and Dharavi (1992).
He also played a cameo in Richard Attenborough's "Gandhi". In the 1990s, he ventured into popular Hindi cinema.
Over the years, Om Puri also made a name for himself in American and British productions. He appeared in Hollywood films like City of Joy (1992), opposite Patrick Swayze; Wolf (1994) with Jack Nicholson; and The Ghost and the Darkness (1996) opposite Val Kilmer. He played General Zia-ul-Haq in Charlie Wilson's War, which stars Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his condolences. Among those who expressed grief are Anupam Kher - his co-star of many films - Karan Johar, Madhur Bhandarkar and Sujit Sarkar.