Veteran Actor Vikram Gokhale Passed Away At The Age Of 82

The renowned actor Vikram Gokhale, whose career spanned cinema, theatre, television, and web series, passed away in Pune. He was 82 years old. According to reports, Gokhale was recently admitted to the hospital. A fourth-generation actor, Gokhale was the great-grandson of leading actress Durgabai Kamat, grandson of Kamlabai Gokhale, and son of Chandrakant Gokhale. Like his forefathers, Vikram Gokhale cut his teeth in plays before venturing into films in the early 1970s. Gokhale had leading roles in Marathi productions, including Kalat Nakalat, Mukta, Natsamrat, and Me Shivaji Park. He was a reliable character actor in Hindi films too, including Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro (in which he played a laid-off mill worker), Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (as a music maestro), Bhool Bhulaiyaa (as a religious scholar) and Aiyaary (as an army general). His natural gravitas saw him being cast as a police officer in several films by Mukul S Anand (Insaaf, Agneepath, Khuda Gawah).

In 2013, Gokhale won the National Film Award for his performance as a man struggling to find treatment for his ailing wife in Gajendra Ahire's Aoooolee. Gokhale was also seen in the Hindi films Mission Mangal, and Nikamma and the web series Abhrak: The Siege Within. His most recent theatrical release in Marathi was Nikhil Mahajan's Godavari, in which he played the patriarch of a family with dementia. Gokhale became a household name with a series of popular television shows including Dwidhata, Junoon, and Jeevan Saathi. In 2010, he turned director with the Marathi-language Aagaat, co-starring Mukta Barve. He is survived by his wife Vrushali Gokhale and two daughters.