Khubsoorat actor Ranjit Chowdhry passes away at 65!

Actor and writer Ranjit Chowdhry, who is best known for performing the character of Rakesh Roshan’s younger brother in Rekha-starrer Khubsoorat breathed his last on April 15. He was 65.

Ranjit’s half-sister and a well known Mumbai-based theatre personality Raell Padamsee broke the news of his sad demise on Instagram. Taking to the photo-sharing platform and posting a picture of Ranjit, she wrote: “For all those who knew Ranjit, the funeral will be held tomorrow and a gathering to celebrate his life n share his stories on May 5th. With love, Raell.”

Ranjit was the son of Mumbai theatre heavyweight Pearl Padamsee and the stepson of ad film maverick, Alyque Padamsee, also remembered for playing MA?Jinnah in Ben Kingsley’s Gandhi.

In a career span of four decades, Ranjit starred in several prominent roles in films including Bandit Queen, Baton Baton Mein, Khubsoorat, Mississippi Masala, Lonely in America, Bollywood/ Hollywood, and many others.

Ranjit also featured in a role in US TV series Prison Break in two episodes as Dr. Marvin Gudat and even wrote the screenplay for Deepa Mehta's Sam & Me.

A report in Pinkvillla stated that Ranjit had moved to the US in 1980 and been active as a writer and actor there too. Ranjit is best remembered for playing Jagan Gupta in Hrishikesh Mukherjee's iconic film, Khubsoorat. The song Saare Niyam Tod Do, where he features alongside Rekha, is still fondly remembered by all.

Ranjit was reportedly suffering from an ailment for several months and was even admitted in a hospital for surgery. Unfortunately, he did not survive the procedure.