New Delhi [India], Jan. 6 : As soon as the news of veteran actor Om Puri's sudden demise did the rounds, Bollywood went under grief.
Reportedly, the veteran actor passed away at the age of 66, after a severe cardiac arrest, at his residence, this morning.
When renowned filmmaker Prakash Jha was asked on the same, he said that the actor's demise is a huge loss to the film industry.
"We will miss him a lot. He was a very good and pure soul. May his soul rest in peace and his family get the strength to fight the situation. It is a huge loss to the film industry," he said. 'Tanu weds Manu' fame Deepak Dobriyal too, expressing his grief, said that Om Puri was a man of empathy.
"Even animals do have sympathy. What this man had, is empathy that an artist should have. It is a huge loss," he said. Actor Ravi Jhankal, who has been associated closely with the late actor, while speaking to the media, said that the latter was under immense pressure, both professionally and personally and wanted to get back to theatres.
"He was a great man and a great human being. It was due to a heart attack. It was unexpected news. But I can tell you that he was under a severe pressure, both personal and professional. Whenever we had any discussion, he used to say that he has is done with movie industry and wants to get back to theatres," he said, adding, "He was fine till night, but he was living alone.
No one was there to look after him." Reportedly, Puri's friends and colleagues from the industry have gathered at his Andheri residence to pay their last respects to the actor, following which the funeral will take place.
Om Puri, born on October 18, 1950, to a Punjabi family, was an actor, who appeared in mainstream commercial, Pakistani, Hollywood, independent and art films.
The actor, who had more than 100 films to his credits, was also honoured with Padma Shri and two National Film Awards, during his acting career that stretched for more than four decades.
Source: ANI
