Veteran actor Viju Khote passes away!

Veteran Bollywood actor Viju Khote best known for his extensive work in Bollywood as well as Marathi movies passed away on Monday morning, i.e. 30th September. Even though the reason for his demise is still unknown, the Sholay actor breathed his last at the age of 77 at the early hours in his home in Mumbai. 

Bollywood journalist Faridoon Shahryar took to his official social media handle to announce the sad news. He wrote, “Sad News: Mr Viju Khote passed away today. He had been working in movies since 1964 and is most famous for playing Kalia in #Sholay.”

The veteran actor had been working in the industry for the past 55 years. He started his journey in movies since 1964, and has delivered some iconic roles like Kalia from Sholay and Robert from Andaz Apna Apna. The veteran actor who has who worked in a number of Hindi and Marathi films, is related to actors Shubha Khote and Durga Khote. 

In one of his interviews, Viju talked about the popularity of Kalia and how he enjoyed the love he has received. In an interview with The Times of India in 2015, he said, “It signifies the tremendous popularity of the movie. And that people liked Kaalia as a character.”

Viju and actor Amjad Khan, who played Gabbar Singh in the film, worked multiple times together. “Actually I had done a play with him before the movie. The play, To This Night A Dawn, was directed by his brother Imtiaz. After Sholay, I did four-five more films with him. But I don’t remember their names,” he said.

The late actor was last seen in 2018’s Jaane Kyun De Yaaron and has acted in nearly 300 films and 30 television serials. He was also seen in Priyanka Chopra’s Marathi production Ventilator in 2016.

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Credits: Hindustan Times