Veteran actor Govardhan Asrani, fondly known as Asrani, died on Monday at the age of 84 after a prolonged illness. He had been hospitalised for five days due to age-related ailments.
Asrani was born on January 1, 1940, in Jaipur, into a middle-class Sindhi family. His father ran a carpet shop, but Asrani showed no interest in the family business. He completed his early education at St. Xavier's School and later graduated from Rajasthan College, Jaipur. To support his studies, he worked as a voice artist at All India Radio in Jaipur.
From 1960 to 1962, Asrani learnt acting from Sahitya Kalbhai Thakkar, and later joined the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, in 1964.
He made his acting debut in Bollywood with the 1967 film 'Hare Kaanch Ki Choodiyan', playing the friend of actor Biswajeet. During this time, he also starred in several Gujarati films as a lead actor.
One of the most memorable roles played by Asrani was that of a jailer in Sholay. He also gave versatile performances in films by acclaimed directors like Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Gulzar, and BR Chopra.
Asrani was also a close friend of Rajesh Khanna, and starred in around 25 films with him, including Bawarchi in 1972.
After 2000, Asrani carved a niche in Priyadarshan's comedy films, doing memorable roles in films such as Hera Pheri, Aamdani Atthani Kharcha Rupaiyaa, Baghban, Chup Chup Ke, Garam Masala, Bol Bachchan, and many more.
Asrani was also a part of the 2023 comedy Dream Girl 2.
Asrani is married to actress Manju Bansal, whom he met during the filming of Aaj Ki Taaza Khabar and Namak Haram. The couple has a son, Naveen Asrani
With a career spanning over five decades, Asrani's contributions as an actor and director have left a prominent mark on Hindi cinema.