Asif Basra (1967-2020) Directors mourn passing of 'very happy actor'
Updated On: 13 November, 2020 07:08 AM IST | Uma Ramasubramanian
Vivek Agnihotri, Siddharth Malhotra remember Paatal Lok actor Asif Basra, who reportedly died by suicide in McLeod Ganj yesterday, at the age of 53.
Asif Basra (1967-2020)
Hours after reports of late actor Asif Basra committing suicide hit headlines, friends and colleagues of the artiste connecting with mid-day expressed shock at the development, citing that he had seemed "pretty okay" during previous interactions.
The Tashkent Files director Vivek Agnihotri points to a celebration party of the film when recalling his last interaction with Asif Basra. "I am working on Kashmir Files and had promised to cast him in it again. He had categorically told me that he had been getting good offers from the West and that he was looking towards working in international cinema. As someone who has collaborated with him on many projects, I can say he was easy to work with and was a lively person. I can't comment on his personal life, but when we shot for a few days last year, he sounded pretty okay."
Vivek Agnihotri
News of Basra's death was revealed by a portal on Twitter. Basra, 53, was reportedly living in a rented house in McLeod Ganj since the last five years along with a girlfriend, who is a foreigner. It is being reported that the actor had a property on lease and would visit the space in Dharamshala, regularly.
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Siddharth Malhotra
Siddharth Malhotra, who worked with Basra on the Rani Mukerji-starrer Hichki, remembers him as a "very happy actor", who referred to Dharmshala as a place that brought him immense happiness. "He would often say that he would visit the place to live in the mountains and to escape from Mumbai. Despite being talented, he didn't have an ego. He was also well-read and versed in several subjects. As an actor, he was hungry, and would always try to make a scene better."
In his over two decade-long career, Basra played supporting parts in many critically-acclaimed features like Black Friday, Parzania and Outsourced. His notable performances in Hindi cinema include Imtiaz Ali's 2007 film Jab We Met, starring Kareena Kapoor Khan and Shahid Kapoor, Fanney Khan, Kai Po Che, and Once Upon a Time in Mumbai.
Also Read: Mukesh Chhabra: Asif Basra would stand out even if he had two scenes in a film
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