Mumbai: Well-known stage and film actor A K Hangal, who gave acting a new dimension with his fine portrayal, passed away here this morning at the age of 95.
He was rushed to Asha Parekh Hospital at Santa Cruz on August 16 Cruz after he slipped and fell in his bathroom, fracturing his right femur (thigh) bone.
”Hangal died at around 0900 hrs. He died following lung and kidney failure after he suffered the fracture,” his physician Koulsoum Hossein said.
”It is a great shock and loss to his family, admirers and the entire film fraternity,” a family member at the actor’s Santacruz residence said.
According to a hospital official, Hangal was on life-support system for the past few days but did not respond to treatment. The veteran actor was famous for his role in film Sholay for his dialogue ‘Itana Sannata kyun hai bhai’. Starting his carrer at the ag
e of 50, he acted in over 250 films since his debut in 1966 in Teesri Kasam.
His portrayals left a deep mark on the footprints of time and justified his leftist leanings. Starting his career in 1946 in the theatre movement in Peshawar, he left for Mumbai to join Indian Peoples Theatre Association (IPTA) in 1959.
Hangal was bestowed with Padma Bhushan award in 2006 for his acting skills.
He actively took part in India’s struggle for Indepenedence.
