'Nukkad', 'Lagaan' actor Javed Khan Amrohi dies; Bollywood mourns veteran actor

Veteran theatre and film actor Javed Khan Amrohi, known for his roles in popular DD serial ‘Nukkad’ and films such as ‘Lagaan’ and ‘Chak De! India’, passed away on Tuesday (February 14) due to lung failure at a hospital in Mumbai, according to filmmaker Ramesh Talwar. He was in his early 70s.

The senior actor was suffering from a breathing ailment and was bedridden for the past one year. He was undergoing treatment at Surya Nursing Home in suburban Mumbai, Talwar told PTI. He passed away at the hospital around 1 pm after both his lungs failed, he added.

Actor Akhilendra Mishra, Amrohi’s frequent collaborator from his theatre days and co-star of ‘Lagaan’, said he was ailing for a long time. “He was my senior in theatre. He was an active member of IPTA (Indian Peoples Theatre Association) Mumbai since the 1970s,” Mishra told PTI.

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The actor’s last rites will be performed at the Oshiwara Kabristan at 7.30 pm, he added.

Having started his career with theatre after graduating from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Amrohi appeared in smaller yet pivotal roles in over 150 films and close to a dozen TV shows.

He is best known for playing the barber Karim in the late 1980’s TV show ‘Nukkad’; Anand Akela, one of the suitors of Raveena Tandon’s character in ‘Andaz Apna Apna’; the cricket commentator in ‘Lagaan’, and a support staff of the Indian Women’s Hockey team in ‘Chak De! India’.

Stage and film actor Danish Husain took to Twitter to pay condolences.

“Gutted to hear about #JavedKhanAmrohi Bhais demise. This seems to be a season of farewell. Condolences to his family, friends, colleagues @iptamumbai #Nukkadd #Lagaan, and so on and so forth,” Husain wrote.

Amrohi’s other notable titles are hit films from the 90s such as ‘Hum Hain Rahi Pyaar Ke’, ‘Laadla’, ‘Ishq’, and the 1988 TV series ‘Mirza Ghalib’. He was last seen in ‘Sadak 2’ (2020), in which he had essayed the role of Pakya from the 1991 original ‘Sadak’.

The actor is survived by a son and a daughter.