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Anushka Sharma to Manoj Bajpayee, Bollywood pay tribute to Asif Basra on his untimely demise

Bollywood expressed shock and grief over the sudden demise of actor Asif Basra today. Basra allegedly committed suicide at his residence in Dharamsala. Basra, known for his character roles in numerous films including Black Friday, Parzania, Jab We Met, Kai Po Che, Paatal Lok and others committed suicide by hanging himself with a leash of his pet dog, the Superintendent of Police Vimukt Ranjan told IANS.

As the news of his death spread on social media, colleagues and friends posted tributes. Kareena Kapoor Khan, Anushka Sharma, Anupam Kher, Emraan Hashmi, Hansal Mehta, Imtiaz Ali, Shraddha Kapoor, Abhishek Banerjee, Manoj Bajpayee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Nimrat Kaur, Randeep Hooda, Tisca Chopra, Resul Pookutty, Ritesh Sidhwani, Sumeet Raghavan, Shruti Seth, Tillotama Shome, Nikitin Dheer, Mukesh Chhabra, Onir, Divya Dutta, Rahul Dholakia, Vir Das and others shared condolences on his untimely and sudden demise. Check out their posts below:

RECOMMENDED READ: Bollywood actor Asif Basra dies by suicide in Dharamshala

On the other hand, Abhishek Banerjee who had also worked as a casting director for a while, roped in Basra in several projects including Once Upon A Time In Mumbai and Knock Out said, “These were my early years in this industry,I had met him (Asif Basra) through my senior Gautam Kishanchandani. He had cast Asif ji in the film Black Friday. And then we cast him in many advertisements, TVCs and recently in Paatal Lok. It is really sad. I have known Asif ji for many years and was fortunate enough to cast him in various projects. He was a great actor and a kind human (being). It's a sad loss for the industry. My condolence to the family.”

He further added, “Asif sir was one of the most professional senior actors I know. He was somebody who was always on time, never slack on sets, had a good attitude and was always prepared with his lines and rehearsals. It was fun to watch him, his outstanding performances have given us characters that will be cherished forever, I believe that's a sign of a good actor. He was a kind human being, too. I remember when I was starting off, he was among those few senior actors who used to come to my auditions, even though he knew that I was a novice who was just starting off. Still, he would come and give auditions. I have some great memories. I am still in shock with the news.”

Imtiaz Ali who worked with Asif in Jab We Met said, “For me, Asif is a special part of a special film. He was a fantastic actor. The news of his demise is very shocking and disturbing. He was a fine actor and very easy to work with. It (his death) is indeed a loss. I remember while making Jab We Met, I wanted an intelligent actor who could convey what I was trying to say and present. I wanted to show two qualities -- lechery and humour -- at the same time through that role. I wanted him to be threatening and funny at the same time. So, for the role, I wanted a special actor who had the mind and the skill to perform. I have known Aasif through theatre in Mumbai. It is what had led me to him many years ago. We didn't work together after Jab We Met. I couldn't get around to work with him but I have seen his other films. He was an engaging actor. I will miss him in the movies."

Mukesh recalled working with Asif and said, “He was such a brilliant actor and so energetic. I am still in shock. He was so positive. For every role, he would say, 'if you want to audition me, I am always ready'. I had auditoned him for Kai Po Che but after that I felt he was such a fantastic actor atht I never felt like auditioning him. He always wanted to do good work. He was always enthusiastic, energetic, fit and happy, so I am just shocked. Whether it was two scenes or three scenes, he used to stand out in every film. His personality was such that he used to leave a mark. He used to improvise too, for he was a spontaneous actor. The last time we spoke was in 2019 during Hostages 2. He had messaged me asking how I was doing. During pandemic, baat nahi hui (we didn't talk) as people were in their own worlds. But he was happy, and I'll always remember him from the time we met for Kai Po Che."

(Source: IANS/Twitter/Instagram) 

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