Mumbai, Oct 21: Actor Raza Murad on Tuesday paid an emotional tribute to veteran co-star Asrani, calling him his “guru” and a gifted all-rounder with the ability to make audiences laugh and feel entertained.
Asrani, who passed away on Monday, was a versatile actor with an impeccable comic timing, Murad told PTI Videos.
He lauded Asrani as a complete entertainer whose talent, humility and warmth will remain etched forever in the Indian cinema.
“No one will be able to fill his place as an actor,” he said.
Veteran actor Govardhan Asrani passed away in Mumbai on Monday at the age of 84.
Expressing grief, Murad said Asrani was not only a remarkable actor but also his guru and guide during the early days of his training at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune.
“I had many associations with him. He was my guru. At FTII, he took our classes for diction, voice and speech, imagination, and movement. For two years we learned under him. Then he became my co-actor. From being my teacher, he became my colleague,” Murad said.
He recalled their first collaboration in “Namak Haraam”, followed by Asrani’s directorial venture “Dil Hi Toh Hai”.
“We worked together in countless films later. He had that gift from God that he could make people laugh anytime. He came into this world to entertain and make others happy,” Murad added.
He said Asrani was far more than just a comedian.
“He was a versatile actor, an all-rounder. In ‘Sholay’, he played the British-era jailer, an iconic comic role. But he also did villainous roles in ‘Hera Pheri’, ‘Nikaah’, ‘Aakrosh’, and serious ones like in ‘Guddi’. Whatever role he did, he did justice to it with full command and mastery,” Murad said.
He noted Asrani’s vast body of work in more than 350 films and his unmatched timing in comedy.
“His comic timing was extraordinary, perhaps unmatched in history. Remember that ‘Sholay’ scene when Asrani picks up the hot iron rod and says, ‘Hum angrezon ke zamaane ke jailer hain’…that was pure magic, what a comedy timing, it was unmatchable,” he said.
Murad also said Asrani was quite reserved about his personal life and “never made his house a studio”.
He said the veteran actor had wished that his death should not be made an “event”, and that is right as everyone has the right to live and die according to their wish.
Asrani’s cremation was held at the Santacruz crematorium on Monday evening in the presence of family members and close friends. (PTI)
