Speaking to BBC Hindi, Asrani said he was proud of the recognition he received for his comic timing but did not consider himself merely a “comedian”, rather “an artist who finds truth in every role”.<\/p>\n
Through his career, Asrani worked with some of the biggest actors and directors of every era.<\/p>\n
Some of his most iconic films include Chupke Chupke (1975), Pati Patni Aur Woh (1978) and Balika Badhu (1976) – a role that won him the Filmfare award for best comic actor.<\/p>\n
Asrani occasionally broke away from his humorous image to portray darker, more complex roles in films such as Koshish (1972) and Chaitali (1975).<\/p>\n
As news of his death broke, coworkers paid their tributes and shared memories of working with him.<\/p>\n
Mr Sippy, who directed Sholay, said Asrani would always be remembered for the role of the jailer, calling it the one he was born to play.<\/p>\n
Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar shared a photo of himself with Asrani, recalling the actor’s comic timing.<\/p>\n
“From all my cult films Hera Pheri to Bhagam Bhag to De Dana Dan, Welcome and now our unreleased Bhoot Bangla and Haiwaan\u2026 I had worked and learned so much from him. What an absolute loss to our industry,” he wrote on X.<\/p>\n
Singer Adnan Sami, who worked with Asrani in one of his music videos, shared a personal memory of the actor’s generosity and charm.<\/p>\n
“I had the honour of working and spending time with him when I requested him to appear in my music video of Lift Karadey (a 1997 song) and I too wanted him to reenact his legendary ‘Jailor’ character for which he generously agreed,” he wrote.<\/p>\n
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