Bharat Ek Khoj actor Salim Ghouse dies due to cardiac arrest; Sharib Hashmi, Vivaan Shah pay tribute

Actor Salim Ghouse died due to cardiac arrest in Mumbai on Thursday, April 28. He was 70. His last rites were performed early on Thursday morning. Tributes have been pouring in for the veteran since then. Actors Vivaan Shah and Sharib Hashmi also took to Twitter to pay respect to the veteran actor. Also read: Meenakshi Sundareshwar actor Shiv Subrahmanyam dies, funeral to take place in Mumbai

Salim appeared in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and English films, apart from TV shows, and also worked as an actor and a director in theatre. He is best known for starring in Shyam Benegal’s TV Series Bharat Ek Khoj, as well as for playing a number of popular antagonists in South Indian films.

Salim’s wife Anita Salim confirmed his death to indianexpress.com, revealing that he was taken to hospital on Wednesday night after he experienced pain in his chest, but he died the next morning. She said, “We took him to Kokilaben Hospital last night, and he passed away this morning. He hated grieving and wanted life to go on. He didn’t suffer, he wouldn’t have liked being dependent on anyone. He was a man with a lot of self-respect. He was a multifaceted actor, a martial artist, an actor, a director, and a lovely chef in the kitchen.”

Vivaan Shah took to Twitter to offer his condolences to Salim’s family. Sharing a monochrome picture of the actor, Vivaan wrote, “RIP Salim Ghouse sir. Deeply devastated to hear of his passing. A great great artist and a wonderful human being. A towering actor of Shakespearean proportions. My heart goes out to Anita Ma’m and Aaryama. Strength and prayers to the whole family.”

Actor Sharib Hashmi also paid tribute to Salim, writing, “Pehli baar #SalimGhouse Sahab ko tv serial #Subah mein dekha tha! Aur unka kaam behadd laajavaab laga tha !! Unki awaaz (I saw Salim Ghouse sir for the first time in TV serial Subah, and found his work really amazing!! His voice).”

Fans also paid tribute to Salim, with one calling him “one of the finest actors and theatre artists.” Another wrote, “It is shocking and saddening to hear the death of #SalimGhouse sir – From the Zinda of Vetri Vizha to Vedanayagam of #Vettaikaran, he never failed to create an impact in the industry in his limited outings. Rest in Peace, Sir. Our deepest condolences to his loved ones!”

Salim was last seen in the 2009 film Well Done Abba, which also starred Boman Irani, Ravi Kishan, and Minissha Lamba. He was about to make a comeback this year with the Tamil thriller film Kaa- the Forest, in which he will be seen as a wildlife warden.