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Om Puri, the veteran of Indian cinema who died on Friday morning at age 66 of an unexpected heart attack, received two National Film Awards, the highest honor an actor can receive in India. The awards are not without their controversies, as one may suspect from awards that are doled out by the national government of India. They have sometimes been accused of favoring Hindi-language films at the expense of regional cinema. As far as Indian awards bodies go, though, the National Film Awards exhibit remarkably prudent taste more often than not. The first of Puri’s National Awards was for Arohan (The Ascending Scale, 1982), by director Shyam Benegal, while the second came for Govind Nihalani’s Ardh Satya (Half Truth, 1983). In the days since Puri’s death, there has been justified focus on his work in Ardh Satya. It gave Puri one of his most definitive roles, and the film...

The prolific, veteran Bollywood actor Om Puri, best known as the star of British films “My Son the Fanatic” and “East is East,” died yesterday at the age of 66, reported the Indian Express.

Born in in 1950, Puri attended the Film and Television Institute of India as well as National School of Drama, and later made his film debut in the 1976 film “Ghashiram Kotwal.” He quickly followed it up with award-winning performances in films like “Aakrosh” in 1980, for which he won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award, “Arohan” in 1982 and “Ardh Satya” in 1983, for which he won the National Film Award for Best Actor two years in a row.

Besides his many character roles in Bollywood film, Puri also appeared or starred in numerous English and Hollywood films and TV shows as well. He co-starred in 90s American films like “City of Joy,” “Wolf” and “The Ghost and the Darkness.” He...

Narenda Modi, Sachin Tendulkar and Anil Kapoor pay tribute to the celebrated actor.

Famous faces from film, politics and sport have tweeted tributes to Indian actor Om Puri, who died of a heart attack aged 66.

Puri was familiar to audiences in India and worldwide for his roles in East Is East, My Son The Fanatic, Aakrosh, Arohan and Singh Is Kinng.

Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi tweeted: “The Prime Minister condoles the passing away of actor #OmPuri and recalls his long career in theatre and films: Pmo”.

Film star Shah Rukh Khan said: “Gods garden must b beautiful, He always takes the best” Will miss ur laughter over the shared brandy in Berlin. Will miss u lots Omji. Rip”.

Quantico and Barfi! star Priyanka Chopra said: “The end of an era …. The legacy lives on.. Rip #OmPuri”.

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar tweeted: “You will live in our hearts forever through the impressions you have left with your...

The actor was best known in Britain for East Is East and My Son The Fanatic.

Veteran Indian actor and former chairman of India’s National Film Development Corporation (Nfdc) has died from a heart attack, aged 66.

Puri was a familiar figure in British cinema due to his roles in films such as Udayan Prasad’s My Son The Fanatic (1997), Damien O’Donnell’s East Is East (1999) - for which he was BAFTA-nominated - and its sequel West Is West, directed by Andy De Emmony in 2010.

He had recently completed filming a role in Gurinder Chadha’s upcoming Viceroy’s House, alongside Gillian Anderson, Michael Gambon and Hugh Bonneville.

Born in the north Indian state of Haryana, Puri made his film debut in Ghashiram Kotwal, directed by a collective of ‘parallel cinema’ filmmakers in 1976. He was one of the leading actors of India’s non-mainstream cinema movement of the 1980s and 1990s, with award-winning...

Om Puri, the prolific Bollywood actor who also starred in several British and Hollywood films, has died. He was 66.

Indian media reported Puri's close friend, filmmaker Ashok Pandit, confirming the actor had died from a heart attack. Pandit later took to Twitter to pass on his condolences. 

Over a career that stretched almost half a century, Puri starred in over 100 films. His craggy features and penchant for taking unusual roles made Puri a critics' favorite, and he gave award-winning performances in the films Aakrosh (1980) and Arohan (1982). In recent years he had roles in more mainstream...

Actor Pankaj Kapur, one of Bollywood actors who straddles both the world of art house and commercial movies with effortless ease, turned a year older on Tuesday.The actor, who was born in the year 1954, turned 58.He stepped into Bollywood in the year 1982 with Shyam Benegal's film Arohan.Kapur received recognition as an actor for the films like Ek Doctor Ki Maut and Maqbool for which he won National Film Awards. He is best known for acting in art films that came under...

ArohanAngel, Rs 199Rating: three It’s not often that a flawed gem, published on DVD for the first time almost three decades after it was cut, makes immense sense with the timing of the reissue. Through the twisted years of land reforms, Shyam Benegal’s Arohan portrays the changing Bengal society that led to the installation of the Left Front government. Oh what an ironic loop of history it’s been since, made even more poignant by the fact that the film was produced by the state government. As the world around them teeters between the right and the left, feudalism and votebank politics, villages ...