Industry personalities such as Satish Shah, Shreyas Talpade, Johnny Lever, Jackie Shroff and others paid their last respects at actor Viju Khote’s prayer meet on Saturday. Viju, known for films such as Sholay and Andaz Apna Apna, died on Monday due to multiple organ failure. He was 77.
The attendees also posed for a group picture, next to a large, garlanded portrait of Viju. The prayer meet was held at Mumbai’s Dadar.
The actor’s final role was in the Priyanka Chopra-produced Marathi film Ventilator. Priyanka told reporters after his death, “He was not just a fantastic actor, but an incredible human being professional to the hilt. Someone who always had a smile on his face and always would make other people smile. “And that was his quest when he came on set. It’s a big loss for Indian cinema.”
Salim Khan, who co-wrote Sholay with Javed Akhtar, said, “It is very sad to hear about his death. We all have to face this some day. It feels great that the dialogue is still remembered.” He was referring to the film’s iconic line, “Sardar, maine aapka namak khaya hai.” Meanwhile, Akhtar’s daughter, Zoya, said at the sidelines of the MAMI film festival, “He has been around, I’ve seen him in films since I was a child. He has been a part of Sholay, he is a face that has been on everyone’s consciousness, whoever watches Indian cinema. We hope he rests in peace.”
Khote starred in around 300 films in his over five decade-long career in both Hindi and Marathi cinema, such as Garam Masala, Pukar, Mela, China Gate, Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, among others.
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